Within the Pages
by amsallinger
Summary: Josh Matthews, a journalist for a critically-acclaimed magazine, only wanted to plan the perfect marriage proposal for his long-time girlfriend, Sophie Miller. Maya Hart, a struggling artist and a substitute event coordinator, just wanted to help in an endeavor to turn her luck around. Neither expected the series of events that followed after. [Joshaya AU]
1. A Couple of Bad Lucks

**A/N: Hey, guys! So here's the first chapter of the rewritten story. The first one is not really that different from the version I posted before, but there were some name changes and role switching that transpired when I was rewriting the storyline. However, before we can get on with the story, there are some MAJOR IMPORTANT plot points that I want to point out:**

 *** The title has been changed. From now on, Her Masterpiece will now be called "Within the Pages."**

 *** The gang are in their mid-twenties. I had to make them that age for the timeline to make sense.**

 *** Katy and Shawn never met and got married. And although Hart is Kermit's last name, I decided that it'll be Katy's maiden name instead. Trust me, y'all don't want to read about Maya strutting around New York with "Clutterbucket" as her last name. Katy's married name, however, will be Chamberlain (I just needed a good name last name, guys).**

 *** Riley and Josh are not related. The original Matthews clan will be Riley's, thus Josh having a purely made up family. They WILL have the same last names still.**

 *** Farkle and Isadora, as much as I hate to say this, will be minor characters. Since the story is Joshaya, we are going to be seeing more of Josh's friends than Maya's. And in case you guys wanted faces to match the characters, Josh's friends are those three NYU students he was with during the Tell-Tale-Tot episode. But don't fret, we'll still Maya's gang together, so that'll be something to look forward to.**

 *** Riley and Maya aren't childhood friends. The gang all met in college, except for Zay, whom Maya is childhood friends with.**

 *** Oh, and one last thing, prepare yourselves for the LONGEST, SLOWEST BURN EVER.**

 **That's all I can remember right now, so I won't keep you long. I hope you guys will like this new storyline. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm halfway through writing the whole story, and I'm pretty pumped about the events that are happening ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: A Couple of Bad Lucks**_

The velvet box felt heavy in his suit pocket. It had felt heavy ever since Josh Matthews bought it two days ago in a jewelry store that he knew his girlfriend loved.

 _Maybe it's because of the stone_ , he reckoned, then shook his head to dismiss the idea. _No, it's my nerves. I'm losing my mind because I bought a ring!_

Josh patted his suit pocket again to make sure the velvet box hadn't moved while his mind was off somewhere, imagining multiple scenarios of how his proposal would go. It was either his long-time girlfriend, Sophie Miller, says yes to him and they decide to marry in that instant or they decide to have a long engagement. Either way, it was stressing Josh out because he bore no hint as to how he's going to ask the biggest and most important question of his life.

As the lone child of Victor and Rochelle Matthews, both avid romance advocates, anyone who personally knew Josh would assume he'd at least inherit that trait from his parents. And, regrettably, much to his utter dismay, he didn't.

Sure, Josh could charm a woman with merely a line or two of sweet nothings, or through a simple yet thoughtful gesture, such as buying her flowers. His father had taught him that; Victor Matthews showed his son how to woo a woman back when Josh was still a freshman in high school and was getting to the stage of developing legitimate feelings for a girl. Despite all the lessons his father provided, Josh didn't feel that he possessed a single romantic bone in his body. Given that he was a human being who's capable of feeling something for another person, Josh just wasn't the expressive type. He liked the idea of being intimate with the right person and showing her that she matters most to him, but initiating a romantic moment wasn't his strongest suit.

Josh needed his father more than anything, especially now that he had been planning on popping the question to the woman he'd been with for five, long years. But alas, Josh figured it wasn't the perfect time to divulge his plans to his father. He feared that he would ring up a wedding planner long before the future bride-to-be could hear the words, "Will you marry me?"

Josh snapped back to the present time when a loud, thumping sound rang in his ears. He jerked in his seat, bumping his computer mouse and provoking his monitor screen to come back to life. Righting himself up in his chair, Josh looked up to determine what the source of the disruption was. His colleague and best friend, Andrew Williams, stood by the opening of his cubicle, his arms crossed over his chest. One of Andrew's eyebrows quirked up in a questioning manner.

"Wow, you're looking more miserable than you were this morning," Andrew commented with a chuckle. "Look at those bags under your eyes. Was Sophie's makeup collection finally too interesting for you that you just _had_ to try them out on yourself?"

Josh sighed, his eyes reverting to his monitor screen. The article he wrote for _People's Verse_ 's newest issue, which was going to be released next month, looked like a victim of the alphabet stampede. Its first few paragraphs were still intact, but what followed them was a clump of letters strung together to form incoherent sentences. Josh highlighted the nonsense he'd managed to type subconsciously and pressed the 'Delete' button on his keyboard.

"What's up with you, man?" Andrew coaxed.

Josh leaned back in his office chair. "I just . . ." he trailed off, thinking of a way to express his current crisis in life. "I'm just so stressed out with everything is all. Between this article and that new thing with Sophie, I just . . . I could definitely use some room to breathe."

Andrew's eyebrows furrowed together at the mention of Sophie and the fretted tone of Josh's voice when he spoke her name. The last time Andrew saw the couple together, they were as happy as a fairytale couple riding off into the sunset on a rainbow unicorn.

"What's going on with Sophie?" Andrew asked. "Is everything okay?"

Josh snickered, which Andrew took as a good sign. Nevertheless, the latter still wanted to know more. That snicker might declare a different meaning behind it for all he knew.

Without giving his worried best friend a vocal answer, Josh swiveled in his office chair and reached inside his suit jacket, producing a black velvet box. He didn't open it, but he held it out for Andrew to inspect.

Andrew gasped. "Mr. Joshua Gabriel Matthews, what would Ms. Sophie Miller say?" he teased as he opened the velvet box to look at the glinting diamond ring. "After all these years, you actually have feelings for me?"

"Andrew!" Josh chided, though he couldn't help the smile forming on his lips.

Andrew handed the velvet box back to Josh. "I was beginning to worry that you don't plan on marrying this girl at all," he said with a mocking smirk. "This proposal is _way_ overdue, my friend. You and Sophie have been together for what? Four—five years?"

Josh retrieved the velvet box from Andrew and stowed it in one of his drawers. "To tell you the truth, I don't know why I let it drag on for this long. By our three year mark, I knew Sophie _is_ the one. I guess it was because . . ." He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and continued. "I guess I was just too pansy to do it before—which I, obviously, am not anymore because I finally bought a ring."

Andrew unraveled his folded arms and propped his elbow on one of the low walls of Josh's small cubicle. He wasn't convinced that it was what Josh meant to say regarding his delayed marriage proposal, but considering their current time and place, it wasn't the perfect setting to get to the bottom of the subject. Perhaps Andrew would raise the subject again some other time. Preferably when he and Josh were off work and with cold beers in their hands.

"So," Andrew began. "When are you going to ask her? Better yet, how are you going to do it?"

That's when Josh's face contorted into something unpleasant.

Andrew regarded his best friend's abrupt change of facial expression and laughed. "You don't have a single clue at all, do you?" he taunted. "Is that what's eating you up?"

Before Josh could bite back a reply, their editor-in-chief, Mr. Steven Filomeno (Josh and Andrew refer to him as Filomeno behind his back), came walking by. He just concluded a meeting with Robert Lindquist, an executive from another magazine publishing company, and judging by the displeased expression on Filomeno's face, the two hours spent in private discussing deals and collaborations didn't run as desired.

"Matthews, Williams," Filomeno grunted when he observed the two men staring at him. "You better be working on your respective jobs. Seeing as I just dealt with a jackass, the last thing I ever want to witness going on around my building are two teenagers trapped in grown-up bodies discussing who's having sex with whom."

Andrew accidentally allowed a snort to escape his lips, which earned him a subtle kick on his calf from Josh. Thankfully, Filomeno didn't catch the interaction.

"I just dropped off a few printed rough drafts to Matthews, sir," Andrew told Filomeno, clearing his throat after to refrain himself from building up his little snort to a full-blown guffaw. "I figured he'd maybe want to offer some suggestions for alterations on the final publication." Then, in a low whisper to Josh, he said, "Wow, I should be like Busta Rhymes or something."

Josh gave Andrew's shin another kick.

"Shouldn't you be consulting Dodson with that?" Filomeno wondered.

Andrew squared his shoulders. "Yes, but I thought Matthews might want to see it as well considering that it _is_ the page where his column will be placed in the final draft."

Filomeno studied his two employees, sensing that something other than dropping off rough drafts was taking place. In the end, he decided to let it go because he was already in a dire mood. He didn't want to make his situation worse by lashing out at Matthews and Williams.

"Very well," Filomeno spoke calmly, yet there's still a distinct vexation interlaced within his tone of voice. "I expect to see that page done by Friday. And I'm not talking about the rough draft, I want the final design—that means your article should be done before then, Matthews."

Josh nodded in agreement as Andrew stepped aside to allow more room for Filomeno to pass. Along with Andrew, Josh watched his editor-in-chief make his way over to his closed office space in an antagonizing fashion. The two best friends simultaneously flinched the second Filomeno's office door slammed closed.

"You heard the boss," Josh stated after he recuperated from the slight shock that resulted from Filomeno's door abuse. He sat down in his office chair and jiggled the computer mouse to bring his monitor back to life. "The final publication of my page needs to be done by Friday. I got three days, Andrew. It's crunch time."

Andrew laughed. "There's the Josh I know," he noted. "Why are you so afraid of Filomeno?"

"Because unlike you, I actually enjoy my job," Josh countered. "And also, I don't want to cross Filomeno's line at all. I've seen that man angry, Andrew. Trust me, I don't have a death wish."

"Hey! Who says I don't enjoy my job?" Andrew complained. "Who wouldn't like it when you've got Jasmine Wilcox to work with? There's a reason I never ask those other photographers to take pictures for my publishing designs."

Josh swiveled in his chair to look Andrew in the eyes. He opened his mouth to voice a retort, but he snapped it close when he spotted Filomeno's office door opening once again. Filomeno's raven-haired head popped out and his solemn eyes immediately captured Josh's gaze.

"Matthews," Filomeno called, "come see me at my office."

After Filomeno disappeared inside his office, Josh and Andrew exchanged worried glances. Usually, when Filomeno asked someone to come see him at his office, it was about something negative. No one enters his office feeling serene and collected; no one exits looking refreshed and relaxed either.

"I will pray for your soul, man," Andrew said, patting Josh on his back as the latter stepped out of his cubicle.

The short journey from his cubicle to Filomeno's office was torturous for Josh. He didn't know what it was that Filomeno wanted from him. Sure, he'd been submitting late articles recently, but Filomeno always brushed it off because he admires what Josh writes for the magazine. Maybe he was getting a raise or a promotion? Or that second column expansion he'd been requesting for the longest time?

Josh was several steps away from reaching Filomeno's office door when he heard a loud commotion behind him. He turned just in time to see Andrew bending down to help Jasmine Wilcox, their spunky and industrious colleague that his best friend liked. Josh shook his head in disbelief, knowing well enough that Andrew had orchestrated the interaction. Smiling at the sight of Jasmine scowling at Andrew, Josh grabbed Filomeno's doorknob and twisted it open.

Filomeno sat on his leather office chair when Josh walked in, his clasped hands resting on top of his organized mahogany desk. His eyes were steadfast and his facial expression unimpressed, seeming as though he'd been waiting for Josh's arrival for hours when it had only been less than two minutes.

"You wanted to see me?" Josh said upon closing the door. The smile he had on a few seconds ago was long gone.

Filomeno gestured at the chairs in front of his desk. "Take a seat, Matthews."

Josh didn't waste any time and hurried over to whichever of the two chairs his feet took him toward.

"I figured you'd be the best first candidate to learn about this new plan I have for the company since you are, in fact, part of my list," Filomeno began. He toyed with his silver pen before he decided to hook it on his suit's breast pocket.

"W-what list?" Josh stammered.

" _People's Verse_ has been New York City's number one magazine for the last nine—almost ten—years we've been a magazine company. We're not falling off the ladder if that's what you're assuming, but I do believe that this company has been a bit . . . _too generous_ , I suppose you could say. There's an abundance of employees being hired simply because we have a surplus amount of funds to pay them for their work. I really wouldn't lose anything if I cut back on some of those employees, don't I?"

Josh's eyes widened, the pieces of the puzzle fitting together in his mind.

 _Since you are, in fact, part of my list . . . If I cut back on some of those employees . . ._

"You're getting rid of me?" Josh asked for clarification.

An impressed smirk flashed across Filomeno's features. "You've always been a fast thinker, Matthews."

"But, Filomeno— _Mr._ Filomeno—why am I on your list?" Josh queried. "Did I do something wrong?"

Filomeno shook his head. "You're an excellent writer, Matthews. But that's all that you are. I'm sorry if I'm coming out harsh, but your subjects are often times a bore to read. Sure, you've got a way with words, but the minute the readers manage to bust out of the spell you seem to put them under, they'll soon come to realize that your topics have become mediocre. Your subjects used to be appealing, even after your magic wears off, so what happened to that? There are millions of people living in New York City—a _billion_ all over the world—and you somehow manage to choose the dullest people to talk about. _That_ is the reason why I'm cutting you off."

Josh couldn't believe the words coming out of his boss's mouth. "But you always tell me that you admire what I write," he reminded.

"Did you ever notice how you never got that second column expansion you've been requesting for over a year now?" Filomeno retaliated.

Josh bit back his tongue, reminding himself to never curse the man in front of him. As much as he scorned him for cutting him off, he was still his boss. He was still the man who made his journalism career flourish in the first place.

"Mr. Filomeno, please give me another chance," Josh begged, refusing to give up his spot in the company. "I need this job and I need the money. If you'd like, I can get my article done by tomorrow. And if you don't like what I wrote, I'll find a new subject and _still_ get it done by Friday."

Filomeno scrutinized his employee, seeing the genuine desperation pooling in his blue eyes. Three years ago, he hired Matthews because he saw potential in his work. The way he could put people under his spell by using his words was what drawn Filomeno to him. And he proved himself a promising employee—he even had Filomeno approve his request to expand his column, which was the first and last time it occurred. But over time, ever since the expansion, Matthews's work had lost its charm. His quality seemed to have degraded; lousy subjects and poor similes cluttered his work. It was as though the column expansion was Matthews's primary goal, and when he acquired it, he didn't bother trying any longer.

Nonetheless, Filomeno _did_ see potential in Matthews in the first place. And as much as he denied it, he'd like to see that man from three years ago emerge again. So he came to a fateful decision he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"All right," Filomeno began, sighing. "Here's the deal—and I know I'm taking a big risk by doing this—but I'm going to give you another chance. Your _last_ chance to prove yourself, Matthews. In five months time, _People's Verse_ will be celebrating its tenth year anniversary. I'm handing you the opportunity to be the main writer of a five-page spread that I'm planning to put on the anniversary issue. If you don't find a subject worthy of the spread, and if whatever subject you've chosen to do doesn't impress me at all, you're out."

"Thank God—I mean, thank you!" Josh exhaled in relief. He was close to falling to his knees in gratitude.

Filomeno sat back down on his office chair. "I'm giving you five months, Matthews," he enunciated. "I'm pretty certain five months would be long enough for you to scout and write about something that'll guarantee you a secured position in my company."

Dismissed, Josh returned to his cubicle with a noticeable skip in his steps. He was the first to come out of Filomeno's office looking de-stressed and rejuvenated, disbelieving yet grateful that he managed to convince his editor-in-chief to give him a second chance. Josh thought that it meant Filomeno wasn't as willing to cut him off as he thought he was.

When Josh returned to his desk, he was ardent to finish his article. But before he could attend to his preempted task, a certain business card taped on his computer screen caught his attention. He didn't know where it came from, but he grabbed it and inspected the card. The name and the phone number didn't make sense to him, so he flipped the card over. As expected, there's a short note written in messy handwriting, indicating that it was Andrew who left him the card.

 _ **Give this person a call. She may just be the person that can help you with your proposal problem. And yes, I stole this calling card from Jasmine, but it was for your own benefit.**_

 _ **P.S. How did it go with Filomeno?**_

Disregarding the post-script, Josh took out his phone and dialed the number printed on the front side of the business card.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Ms. Hart, but there's nothing we can do. The artists were chosen in a 'first come, first serve' basis, and you arrived just a little too late," the art curator apologized.

Maya's shoulders slugged as her eyes scanned the spacious room, scouting for the slightest scrap of space available to display her artworks. When she spotted one by the far right corner, she straightened and nodded in that specific direction.

"There's one over there," Maya declared hastily. "I'm sure I can accommodate a piece or two in there. Look," she paused to raise up one of her artworks, "this one's painted on a small canvas. I can hang this up on the wall or I can perch it on an easel if you have a spare or something and—and—and I can just hold up the rest of them like this, and then this one can go like this—"

"Ms. Hart," the art curator interrupted. Pressured from coordinating the upcoming winter art exhibition, the last thing the art curator wanted was to kick out a desperate artist, who only wanted to showcase her artworks in the gallery. "I'm very sorry. Your pieces are all wonderfully magnificent—and we would have loved to show it to our guests—and I wish it was that easy to include you in, but we are very strict with our plan to _only_ have three local artists showcased alongside the main artist."

Maya pursed her lips together, committed to fighting for a spot in the exhibition. The hours and effort she spent and put into painting her five masterpieces would _not_ go to waste. Surely, there's still another way for her name to become part of the exhibition's line up.

"I'll pay you!" Maya suggested shortly after conjuring up the idea. Lowering the canvas she had in her hands so that it rested against her leg, Maya zipped her cross-body bag open and reached for her wallet. She took out every paper bill she had stowed inside and presented it to the art curator.

Maya didn't like bribing people, but at that moment, everything that could help her achieve the future she'd envisioned circa the first time she ever held a paintbrush was dancing on a tenuous line.

The art curator shook her head, apologetic as she placidly shoved the offered money aside. "Ms. Hart, I'm sorry. We really can't get you in."

"But—"

"Ms. Hart—"

"Is everything all right here?" one of the Atford Gallery's security guards came up to the two women, concern evident in his kind features. He stood tall with his hands resting on his hips.

The art curator nodded. "Yes," she responded curtly. "Everything is well. Our lovely visitor was just leaving."

"No, I am _not_ ," Maya huffed, keeping her stand. Hardheaded as she was, Maya wouldn't allow such a great opportunity to pass her. This could be the golden ticket she needed to excel in the art industry, considering how many well-known artists and their managers were coming to attend the winter art exhibition.

"Ms. Hart, please. I already told you that there's nothing we can do to help you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go. The exhibition's tomorrow night and there are some things I still need to take care of," the art curator informed, her patience on the verge of termination. She could only deal with so much perseverance in such a short amount of time. "Guard, can you please escort our visitor here to the back door? The front doors are to remain closed until the exhibition tomorrow night."

The security guard nodded in accord.

"Thank you both for your cooperation. Again, Ms. Hart, I apologize."

With those uttered words, the art curator turned to leave.

The security guard averted his attention to Maya as he leaned down to pick up a handful of her artworks. However, he hadn't even successfully touched one yet when he felt a sudden stinging sensation in his hand. Drawing his hand back to his side, the security guard glanced up to find Maya scowling at him.

"Don't touch them," Maya warned, her tone of voice was firm and authoritative.

"I was just trying to lessen the load you have to carry, ma'am," the security guard defended.

"I carried all of them here by myself, I'm sure I can carry all of them out myself as well," Maya responded, picking up her pieces and sticking them in place under her arm. Taking note of how harsh she sounded to the security guard who's merely offering a helpful hand, she sighed and told him in a much softer tone, "I appreciate your thoughtful gesture, but I can manage."

The security guard nodded in understanding, watching wordlessly as Maya struggled with her artworks. He wanted nothing more than to extend a hand and grab a few pieces from her, but the woman had assured that she could do it by herself.

"Have a good rest of your day, ma'am," the security guard told Maya the moment they were out on the streets of New York City. He waited for a verbal response, but considering that her mood shifted negatively, he settled for the simplest and smallest nod Maya sent his way and went back inside the Atford Gallery.

Alone, Maya walked toward the closest bench and dropped her belongings on it. She dared another look at the Atford Gallery and an abrupt wave of disappointment and frustration washed over her. The art curator said Maya arrived just a little too late. Maybe if she hadn't stopped for a cup of coffee at Topanga's, she would've acquired the last spot in the exhibition. Perhaps if she didn't find herself caught in traffic, she would've arrived at the gallery at an earlier time, scoring the second spot in the exhibition. Or maybe if she hadn't taken such a long time attempting to look presentable, Maya would've been extra-extra early and she would've taken the first _-_ ever spot in the art exhibition.

Heaving a dispirited sigh, Maya returned her attention to her artworks. She carefully sprawled them on the bench, making sure that each one was in plain sight, and gazed at them as though they were her starving children and she was a mother who couldn't feed them enough nutritious food.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" Maya murmured under her breath, still examining her artworks. She didn't want to sell them—they were too precious for her. They were her best works so far in the entire continuance of her "barely there" art career.

Maya gathered her things again and checked both sides of the road for oncoming traffic before she traversed the street. Her best friend, Riley Friar, wanted her to stop by for dinner, but after what occurred ten minutes ago, Maya was no longer in the mood to socialize. All she wanted to do was to head home and wallow in her frustration.

If that art curator knew how hard she worked on her pieces, and how many Tan House Events clients she had to turn down just so she could focus on her art, maybe she'd arrive at her senses and realize how mindless she was for letting Maya go.

Just then, Maya's phone blared from the inside of her cross-body bag. She assumed it was Riley calling, most likely to ask her to fetch something at the grocery store before she comes over for dinner. As much as Maya loved her best friend wholeheartedly, Riley's enthusiasm wasn't what she needed that night.

Leaning her artworks against a lamppost, Maya zipped her cross-body bag open and pulled out her phone. It was dead, which instantly told Maya that it wasn't _her_ phone that was ringing; it was the _other_ one, Katy's business phone. Stowing her personal phone back inside her bag, she fished for the other device and answered the call.

"Sorry, I can't take your call today—"

"But, you answered—"

Maya took no notice of the man's teasing voice at the other end of the line. "Please call again sometime tomorrow. Thank you."

After ending the call, Maya clicked the lock button on the phone and shoved it back inside her cross-body bag. She knew she was putting a wedge in Katy's business as an event coordinator by holding off that one new client, but at that moment, she didn't care. What was important to her that night was her art. How was she supposed to showcase her masterpieces to the entire world when she couldn't even show it to New York City?

* * *

 _ **Song of the**_ _ **Chapter : Some Days by The Maine.**_

 **And there you have it! Like I said, there's not a lot of difference from the previous version, but the following chapters sure will be much, much different.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me, and I can't wait to hear from you.**


	2. At Zero Cost

**A/N: Here's the second chapter that I promised earlier. I hope you guys are liking the new version so far even though we're only two chapters in. Also, I was told that the gang is too old, but I hope you guys don't mind that. I wrote them around that age for the timeline to make sense. Even so, their ages aren't going to be mentioned a lot, so it's very easy to forget how old they are.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. This is the part where everything starts being different from the old version.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: At Zero Cost**_

"Aren't you supposed to be at Abigail Adams educating the minds of our youth?" Maya questioned her just arrived best friend without looking up from her laptop. She was busy uploading the pictures of the five pieces of artwork she meant to showcase last night at the Atford Gallery's winter art exhibition on her Canvas profile. Maya figured that if she couldn't show it to the exhibit attendees, she might as well upload it on the Internet (or to those that visit the website).

"It's my lunch break," Riley responded as she dropped a Topanga's take-out bag on Maya's desk. "And I thought I'd bring you a little something from my dear mother's palace."

"That's sweet of you, Riley," Maya commented. After her files had finished uploading, Maya closed her laptop and stood up to give her best friend a quick hug. "You better have some cronuts in there or I'll start to think that you don't know me at all."

Riley chuckled. "Oh, I do have some cronuts in there, but I also got you a cup of 'get out of here,' and a box of 'go eat lunch with Zay,' with a side of 'because you promised him you would once he gets back from his business trip.'"

Maya rolled her eyes at best friend.

"What on God's green Earth are you still doing here?" Riley questioned as she placed down the stack of binders she had in her arms on Maya's desk. Her arm was beginning to hurt from the weight.

"Working," Maya deadpanned.

"Last time I checked, you don't have any Tan House Events clients because you declined them all so you could focus on your five pieces—which didn't even make the exhibition."

" _Thank you_ , Riley, for reminding me," Maya enunciated with sarcasm. "And I was working on my Canvas profile. I thought the people of the Internet might appreciate my pieces more than the art curator did—I mean, she called them 'wonderfully magnificent,' but not once did I ever saw her actually _look_ at them!"

"Well, I'll have you know that your art is the most sensational pieces I have _ever_ laid my eyes on," Riley solaced with a genuine smile on her face. "The Atford Gallery didn't know what it lost."

"Are you just saying that because you're my best friend and you're entitled to make me feel better?" Maya pouted, though she knew that Riley was never one to sugarcoat her critique when it comes to Maya's art. As brutally honest as she was, it was rare for Riley to not like a piece done by Maya.

"No, I said that because I know how amazing an artist you really are. Remember that gigantic piece you did for your Bachelor's degree? The one your professor wanted to buy from you?" Riley reminded. "Lucas wants it. I told him he couldn't have it because that piece is like your baby—your firstborn child—and there was no _way_ in hell that he was gonna get it from you."

Maya nodded. "Tell him you're absolutely right."

"Now." Riley grabbed Maya's laptop and stowed it inside the latter's cross-body bag. Then, along with the Topanga's take-out bag, she passed it over to Maya and said, "Take these and go have lunch with Zay."

Maya retrieved the bags from Riley with a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said, "for always keeping me in check."

Riley shrugged like it was nothing. "Lucas might be my husband, but you came into my life first." Her eyes widened after hearing her own statement, clamping a hand over her gaped mouth. "Don't tell Lucas I said that."

Maya giggled as she pretended to zip her mouth closed. "Just between you and me."

Shortly enough, Maya exited the Tan House Events' office building. She pulled out her phone and sent Zay a message, letting him know she was on her way to visit him at work.

* * *

Zay Babineaux sat on his office chair, grimacing when he caught sight of Maya unattractively slurping the noodle that dangled along the edge of her lips.

"Slow down there, Maya," Zay admonished. "You don't want to get a bloated stomach after."

Maya shrugged as the entire noodle made its way inside her mouth. "It doesn't matter; I'll get bloated otherwise," she reasoned nonchalantly. "How was Fiji?"

Zay grabbed a sandwich from the Topanga's paper bag and unwrapped it. "It was beautiful—a breathtaking place, I'm telling you. It made me wish I wasn't there for business purposes." He examined the contents of the sandwich before taking his first big bite.

"I mean, come on, it's _Fiji_ ," Maya agreed.

Zay Babineaux was a 26-year-old man with dark, curly hair and a strong built. He had plump lips and a sharp nose, and eyes that held a dark shade of brown. He worked as a photographer for _People's Verse_ , which afforded him the astounding opportunity to travel the world and capture the lives of inspiring individuals the magazine decides to feature. Aside from that, Zay was a long-time family friend of the Chamberlain-Hart clan and was also the man that stood as Maya's confidante when her mother, Katy's, physical and emotional state spiraled down after her husband left her. Maya knew that Riley was willing to help her deal with her "mommy issues," but Zay had been around longer than Riley had. Zay knew Katy as well as Maya did.

"So," Zay began, and from the manner he spoke that single word signaled Maya that their conversation had steered clear of Fiji. Maya hadn't even learned anything yet about the place.

"Zay," Maya vocalized as she placed down her fork and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes for a moment, inefficaciously wishing that, just for this one day, Zay would not raise the topic of her mother. "Can we _please_ not talk about this today?"

" _Her_ , Maya," Zay corrected, casting on his assertive tone of voice. "Your mother is not an object."

"Zay—"

"I'm very much aware that she's not your most favorite person in the world right now, but she's still your mother. You still have to respect that."

"I know," Maya responded half-heartedly. Her stomach was begging for another bite of her lunch, but she couldn't seem to find the physical strength needed to grab her fork. This talk usually drained her appetite. "I'm not in the mood to deal with _her_ right now."

"When were you ever in the mood, Maya?"

"I just don't want to talk about _her_. Which part of that do you not understand?" Maya argued although she knew to herself that she was attempting to ward off the imminent dreadful conversation. "You just got home from Fiji and I want to know everything about the place. I might go on an impromptu vacation someday and I wanna have a place to go to."

"You do know at some point you're going to have to—"

"Oh, would you look at that," Maya interjected. "We're out of coffee! Do you want some more? I'm gonna go run to the break room and get us some more." She didn't wait for Zay to say anything. Maya grabbed the two empty paper cups and dropped them in the garbage can on her way out of Zay's cubicle.

The moment she was certain she was no longer within Zay's earshot, Maya sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a series of controlled exhalation. When she felt that she was fine again, she continued her walk towards the break room. She became familiar with Zay's building because of how often she visited when he wasn't traveling. That meant that she frequented the break room, always thirsting for that cup of coffee that oddly tasted better by the second helping.

Maya arrived at the break room to discover that she wasn't the only one there. Sitting at a table in the corner of the room were two men wearing white dress shirts. They both looked like they could be in trouble based on how disconcerting their facial expressions were. One of the men had a buzzcut and dark skin, while the other had shorter brown hair and was sitting with his back to Maya, hence why she couldn't view his features.

Maya turned to the coffee maker and was thankful to find the pot full. She opened the overhead cupboard and grabbed the two mugs she knew belonged to Zay. He had an extra mug kept in the cupboards specifically for her use. As Maya filled up the two mugs with piping hot coffee, the two men's conversation captured her attention.

"Filomeno is _what_?" exclaimed the man with the buzzcut.

"He said that _People's Verse_ was becoming too generous, so he's cutting down on employees—the Cut, as I like to refer to it," the other replied. "I don't know what prompted him to do it all of a sudden, but all I know is that I'm on that list. Lucky enough, he gave me another chance to prove myself."

Maya's eyebrows rose upon hearing the news. She knew it wasn't her business to mind, but it was Zay's. He could be on Filomeno's list for all she—or he—knew. To provide Zay an accurate and detailed information, Maya pretended she didn't know her way around the break room, buying time to listen to the conversation.

"It looks like no one has bothered to refill our sugar jar, but we should have some Sweet 'n Low packets in the third drawer to your left," a voice said from the corner table where the two men sat. "If sugar's what you're looking for. If not, then please ignore everything I just said."

Maya passed a quick look at the table and discovered that it was Buzzcut who spoke to her. She noted the warm smile on his clean-shaven baby face.

"I was actually looking for the sugar, so you were very useful, thank you," Maya told Buzzcut, who smiled at her in response before he returned his attention to his friend.

Maya then slipped a glance at the other man, who's still looking at her while Buzzcut resumed conversing with him. His lips were thin and set in a straight line, but it was his blue eyes that interested her the most. It was deep, kind, gentle, and yet it held worry in them. Maya wouldn't find it surprising if his troubled expression was due to the news of the Cut.

The blue-eyed man broke his gaze after Buzzcut mentioned the name of their boss again.

As Maya returned to her task at hand, the two men carried on with their conversation. Only this time around, the topic was no longer about the Cut.

"Did you try calling the number I posted on your computer screen yesterday?" Buzzcut questioned. The sound of a plastic bag opening resonated throughout the break room as he started throwing away the styrofoam take-out boxes.

"I did, but I got turned down," the blue-eyed man responded with no trace of disappointment in his tone of voice. "She said to call again tomorrow, which should mean today."

"So, you're actually considering hiring this person to help you with your proposal?"

Adding the correct amount of creamer in Zay's black coffee, Maya opened her ears again to the two men's conversation. She didn't mean to eavesdrop—a while ago, she purposely did it because it concerned Zay—but it was only the three of them in the break room; hearing them talk proved inevitable. Maya grabbed another teaspoon from the silverware drawer and stirred the other cup of coffee as slow as possible, buying herself time.

"Try calling her again," Buzzcut suggested after his blue-eyed friend responded to him with something Maya wasn't able to catch. "It's lunchtime. Maybe she's not busy right now."

The blue-eyed man didn't utter a word, which caused Maya to turn slightly and check what was going on. She caught him with his phone in hand, his fingers working on re-dialing someone's digits.

Having estimated that she spent more than the time required to make two cups of coffee, Maya picked up the two mugs, the same time her phone started ringing. Exhaling, she replaced the mugs on the counter to retrieve her phone—Katy's phone—from her denim jacket's pocket.

"Sorry, buddy. It's lunchtime," Maya muttered as she declined the call.

"She didn't answer again," the blue-eyed man spoke from his place at the table. He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as though it was the device's fault that the event coordinator didn't acknowledge his call for the second time.

From across the table, Buzzcut furrowed his brows as he observed the entire scene unfold in front of him. His eyes darted from his blue-eyed friend to the woman by the counter. It might simply be a matter of coincidence that the second his friend dialed the number, the woman's phone began ringing. And when she declined it, his friend's call ended. Buzzcut felt that it was _too_ much of a coincidence . . . But it was likewise possible that she might not actually be . . . Well, she could _be_ her if he was assuming _correctly_. . .

"Call the number again," Buzzcut instructed his blue-eyed friend, and the latter obeyed.

Like Buzzcut had anticipated, the woman's phone started ringing. His face lit up as he abruptly shot up from his seat, surprising both his best friend and the woman who's now halfway out the door. "You're Katy!" he exclaimed happily, pointing a finger at Maya.

Maya stopped in her tracks and turned on her heels, the two mugs still in her grasp. She looked from Buzzcut to the blue-eyed man. "Not precisely," she drawled with a diffident bite of her lower lip.

Buzzcut rushed to her side and pulled her back inside the break room. He closed the door behind them for privacy.

"I'm sorry, but who are you, people?" Maya interrogated.

"I'm Andrew William," Buzzcut—Andrew—introduced. Then, he gestured at the blue-eyed man. "And this is my best friend, Josh. Matthews. Josh Matthews. We both work here."

"And I'm assuming you're Katy Chamberlain, the event coordinator?" Josh spoke from his spot at the table.

Maya shook her head. "No, my name's Maya. Katy Chamberlain's my mother. I'm currently taking over her business while she's, um . . . while she's away."

Andrew snapped his fingers, causing Maya to divert her attention from Josh to him. "Zay mentioned a Chamberlain before! Something about visiting her at a center of some sort, I'm not sure. Do you happen to be—"

"Zay's a childhood friend of mine, but I can assure you that I'm most likely _not_ the Chamberlain he's mentioned before. I go by a different last name."

"So, you're married?" Josh inquired.

Maya raised her left hand, which still held one of the coffee mugs, to show the absence of commitment bands on her ring finger. "It's something I don't normally talk about to people I just met . . ."

Andrew's grin widened. "Of course," he commented. Then, he motioned animatedly at the mugs in Maya's hand. "One of those is supposed to be for Zay, right?"

Maya glanced down at the mugs and only then did she remember the original purpose of her trip to the break room. "Actually, yes! This one's for him," she answered as she raised the fiery red mug.

"Oh, perfect," Andrew said as he took the mug from Maya without any forewarning. "Here, I'll take this and deliver it to Zay myself. Your childhood friend has a certain cubicle neighbor that I have a strong romantic connection with, so I believe she'd like it if I pay her a surprise visit—after giving Zay his no longer warm coffee, of course."

Maya couldn't help the soft chuckle that slipped from her tainted lips. "Jasmine? Oh yeah, Zay and I talk with her about a lot of things all the time, but she never once mentioned you to us," she informed.

"As cold as that was, Andrew, I would have to agree with Maya on this one," Josh taunted, scrunching his face at his friend.

Andrew's grin remained on his face, although it was easy to tell that it was no longer the friendly type but a sarcastic one. "Someday, Matthews—you, too, Frosty. I'll be saying 'I told you so' to the both of you."

It was the last thing Andrew said before he disappeared from the break room, taking Zay's room temperature cup of coffee with him.

The second the door shut closed, Maya returned her attention to the man still in the break room with her. Instantly, she recalled how she treated him during the phone call the other day. She made her way over to where Andrew once sat and said, "I'm sorry about yesterday."

"Yeah, I was just about to ask you regarding that," Josh said with a smile.

"You caught me at the most inconvenient time. I was pissed about something and the last thing I ever wanted to do was to deal with a client." Maya straightened up in her seat. "But now that I'm in a better mood, what was it that you need my services for?"

Josh adjusted his posture so that he sat more comfortably in his seat. He rested his elbows on the table and looked Maya in the eyes. "So I have a girlfriend," he began. "Her name is Sophie and we've been together for five years—"

" _Five years_?" Maya asked incredulously, her eyes widening. "Why in the world aren't you two married yet?"

Josh laughed at her reaction, then he looked down in an effort to hide the blush that crept along his cheeks. "Trust me, I'm working on that. I'm just coming across _one tinny-tiny_ problem at the moment."

"And that is?"

"I haven't proposed yet—because I don't know how I'm going to do it," Josh revealed. "And that's the part where you're supposed to come in."

It all clicked into place in Maya's head, and her shoulders instantly sagged in defeat. As much as she hated to do it, she had to turn him down. It wasn't because she didn't want to help Josh with his marriage proposal, but it was because she wasn't _supposed_ to.

"I would love to, but . . ." Maya trailed off, immediately catching the dismay that flashed across Josh's delicate blue eyes. Her teeth captured her bottom lip, as though in an attempt to hold back more words of disappointment. "Tan House Events doesn't really take up marriage proposal and wedding events anymore ever since—"

Maya stopped herself. _Too personal for a stranger_ , she thought.

Josh didn't seem to dwell on her abrupt stop, much to Maya's utmost relief. But he was still beyond frantic. He'd waited long enough to pop the question to Sophie, and there was nothing that could stop him from making it happen.

"Please," Josh implored. "You said so yourself, Sophie and I should've been married already, but we're not because I don't know how the hell I'm going to propose! I desperately need your help, Maya. Help me plan the perfect marriage proposal . . . _please_."

"I'm sorry, Josh, but I really can't," Maya informed him. "I may be running Tan House Events at the moment, but it still functions the way Katy wants it to. And if she said that we can't take up any marriage proposal events, then I'm not going to. Besides, weddings aren't really my expertise. I plan conventions and seminars and fundraising events."

"I'll pay you double—if that's what it takes for you to make an exemption for me," Josh offered with urgency. "Just name your price and twice of that is all yours."

Something about Josh's sentence hit a specific part within Maya that made her consider caving in. Just yesterday, the same words flowed out of her mouth when she grew desperate to acquire a place in the Atford Gallery's winter art exhibition. She remembered how it felt, looking at the art curator and seeing nothing but pity because, despite her persistence, she knew what she was doing was futile. The art curator was strict about what she wanted, and there's no way that Maya could make the authority bend the rules solely for her.

Looking at Josh, Maya couldn't bear seeing a different person—doesn't matter that he was a stranger to her—suffer through the same rejection she went through yesterday. If the art curator couldn't yield a spot to her at the winter art exhibition, the least that Maya could do was to give Josh his happy ending.

"All right, here's a deal for you," Maya said, placing her elbows on the table and leaning closer to Josh. "I'll help you plan a proposal _without_ asking for anything back— _yet_."

When Josh's face brightened with excitement, Maya held up a finger. " _But_ ," she proceeded, " _if_ , for some strange and unfortunate reason, your lady says no" —Josh's smile dropped— "I'll have to ask for payment because, well, you wasted my precious time. On the other hand, _if_ everything works in your favor and your lady says yes, then you're free to go. I won't be charging you and your bank account will stay happy."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Josh queried, using both his index fingers to trace a circle turning counterclockwise rather than clockwise in the air. "If Sophie says yes, then I should pay you because you did a good job—"

"If you and Sophie had been together for five years, then isn't it already guaranteed that she's going to say yes? And as I mentioned earlier, Sophie saying yes means _you_ get to pay me nothing. Why are you complaining?"

"But it doesn't seem fair," Josh commented.

Maya pursed her lips. "I wanted to showcase my art pieces last night at the Atford Gallery's winter art exhibition, but I got rejected because I didn't get there on time. I didn't get to have what I wanted, so I figured if I prevented you from _not_ getting your happy ending, the universe will balance out again and bring me my luck back."

Josh still looked like he wasn't convinced.

"I'm doing all of this for you at _zero cost_ —at least for now. You should count your lucky stars," Maya said as she leaned back in her chair.

Josh's features relaxed, which signaled Maya that she finally got to him.

"So, do we have a deal?" Maya prompted when Josh still wasn't producing any words. His blue eyes were so transfixed on her that Maya began to think that perhaps the man seated across from her was under a spell.

After another minute passed, Josh broke away from his stupor but maintained his eye contact with Maya. They clasped their hands together and sealed the deal with a firm handshake.

"When's the first meeting?" Maya interrogated, standing up from her seat in preparation to leave the break room. She needed to run back to Zay to tell him what held her up, but something told her that Andrew might've filled him in on it. Nevertheless, she'd still drop by to say a proper goodbye.

"Our anniversary isn't until February," Josh informed.

Maya nodded. "Yeah, but nothing is ever early for an event coordinator. It's always wise to plan something way ahead of time. You know, in case we need to cancel a venue or we might get put on a queue for something. You can never really tell what hurdles we might encounter, so . . ."

"Sure, of course. I get what you're saying," Josh replied as he stood up from his seat. "As for when we can meet—are you free tomorrow night?"

"Yes, I should be," Maya answered.

"Cool! I get early outs on Wednesdays, so does six o'clock work for you?" Josh asked.

"That should work fine. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Maya was halfway out the door when Josh called her in again.

"I didn't get your last name," Josh stated.

"It's Hart," Maya replied with a smile.

"I'll see you then, Ms. Hart—oh, and the place is at Groucho's! Sorry, I told you the time but I didn't tell you where we're going to meet."

Maya chuckled. "Don't be late, Mr. Matthews."

* * *

 **And that's the second chapter! Chapter 3 will be up on Friday, as scheduled.**

 **I hope you guys liked it and let me know what you think :)**


	3. Building Platforms

**A/N: Okay, I have decided that in terms of the gang's age, I'm just gonna wing it. BUT THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT ANYMORE. What's important is that I can't stay on the posting schedule I made for this story, and decided to post the third chapter today. I'm currently finishing up Chapter 19 and I just can't wait for you guys to read EVERYTHING, especially when things are beginning to get COMPLICATED on Chapter 19 ;) I'm so excited to give you guys all the chapters that I settled for posting the chapters whenever I feel like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3: Building Platforms**_

Because of how fast she adjusted to the nature of being an event coordinator, Maya arrived at Groucho's ten minutes before the time Josh set. Coming in early meant that she would be facing the consequence of having to wait for her company to arrive, which she didn't personally mind. Sometimes, it afforded her enough room to freshen up, boot her laptop, or claim a table for her and her client to use.

It wasn't long until the clock ticked to exactly six in the evening, but Josh had yet to make an appearance. Maya didn't pay attention to it because she understood that it was the rush hour when the workers were all getting off their jobs and making the commute home. She supposed her client was stuck in traffic.

As the lounge singer sang soulfully in the corner, Maya logged onto her email account and decided to open her unread messages. She browsed through them, trashing any junk mails in the process. Most of the emails she got were from new clients for Tan House Events and her other online subscriptions. After reading through the new clients' proposals, she forwarded the birthday party requests to one of her colleagues in charge of handling such events.

It was fifteen past six when Maya realized that Josh still hadn't arrived. She took out her phone and sent him a quick message, asking him if he still planned on showing up to their meeting. After, Maya called for a server and ordered herself a glass of iced tea. As soon as the server left with her order, a chime from her laptop notified her of a new email. Maya's heart pounded when she noted that it was a message from Canvas, the online hub for artists like her to showcase their artworks.

Maya immediately reopened her inbox window and double clicked on her most recent email.

* * *

 ** _NYC LENDS A HELPING HAND BENEFIT CONCERT_**

 _To: Maya Hart_

 _From: Leigh Robinson_

 _Good evening, Ms. Hart. My name is Leigh Robinson and I am the board director of NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee, a non-profit organization established to raise awareness to the current issues involving our society, especially the youth. In light of recent events, my board members and I have decided to host a benefit concert to acknowledge those children who've been victims of violence. We wanted to do something enjoyable to show these children that they still matter and that they have a place within our community. The concert is expected to take place in February 2019 at Complex Sounds._

 _I saw your portfolio on Canvas and your work amazed me! My board members and I have chosen you as the artist we want to work with for the benefit concert. We need you to help us design posters, brochures, T-shirts, etc. If you accept our offer, please don't hesitate to reply and I'll fill you in with details about the benefit concert, as well as what we expect from you as our Creative Art Director._

 _I hope to hear from you soon, Ms. Hart. I am a big fan of what you can do. Have a great evening!_

 _Thank you,_

 _Leigh Robinson_

 _NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee Board Director_

* * *

Maya felt thrilled about the new job offer. She wanted to jump and scream in celebration but thought against embarrassing herself in public. Instead, she clamped a hand over her mouth and let out the most reserved squeal she could muster. Someone recognized her art online and wanted to utilize her artistic skills for a righteous cause. It was enough for Maya's brain to go haywire with utter excitement.

 _Maya Hart, Creative Art Director_ , Maya thought with a contented sigh. The title sounded so euphoric in her head she wondered how it would feel if said out loud.

Just as Maya hit the reply button to tell Leigh that she wanted to work with her committee, Josh came barreling through the wooden doors of Groucho's. He spotted Maya and sped toward her, his excuse rolling off his tongue even before he reached her table.

"I know I'm twenty minutes late and I am _so, so_ sorry," Josh apologized breathlessly. "Filomeno called for a last-minute meeting to talk about the magazine's next issue and I honestly didn't know it would take that long. And I know I should've replied to your messages—I wanted to slip my phone out to text you—but Filomeno kept walking behind me. My job is already hanging on the line I didn't want to jeopardize it even more."

Maya considered his reason. It was fair and sensible enough that she let it slide. Besides, it was only their first meeting. Any tardiness after that and she was gonna have to settle some rules with Josh.

"Just try to be more on time in the future," Maya told him as she opened her laptop. "What I'm helping you with is something that Tan House Events doesn't want to work on anymore, so I'm basically bending the rules _just_ for you. I don't mean to come off as uptight, but please do consider what I'm trying to do here for you. I know it was just one tardiness, but—"

"I understand," Josh responded, nodding with urgency. "I'm sorry—again."

"Apology accepted," Maya replied. She was still experiencing the high from the job offer she received from Leigh Robinson that she couldn't find it in her to feel entirely displeased by Josh's tardiness.

Josh bit his lip, watching as Maya clicked buttons and typed a string of words on her laptop. "Listen, how about I make it up to you?" he suggested with an amiable smile.

Maya's eyebrows met in the middle. "I already accepted your apology."

Without saying anything, Josh raised an arm to grab the attention of a passing server. The server came over, and Josh asked for two bottles of beer.

"Josh, we're here to talk about your marriage proposal, not get drunk," Maya scolded, though she could feel the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. To prevent the smile from fully spreading across her lips, she returned her attention to her laptop. She typed a few more information regarding Josh's marriage proposal case on the digital form opened in front of her.

"Who said anything about getting drunk?" Josh challenged.

"Oh, good, because nobody wants to see a drunk high school principal. That would be very traumatizing."

Josh laughed—an actual guffaw that made Maya feel amused and mortified at the same time. She surveyed the establishment to determine if anyone was watching them, but since Groucho's was a bar and grill, everyone else was engrossed with their own conversations.

"What's so funny?" Maya questioned.

"You're not really a high school principal, are you?" Josh asked, scrunching his nose at her.

Maya shook her head with a chuckle. "But I have friends that always tell me I dress like one."

"Some friends . . ."

Maya gasped. "Excuse you, at least they're being honest."

Josh raised his arms up in mock surrender. "I did not say anything," he uttered.

Their beers arrived and Josh was the first one to take a swig. "Here's a friendly tip for you," he stated. "You should never, _ever_ go to Groucho's without—"

"Getting a beer, I know," Maya interjected. When she noticed Josh raising a questioning brow at her, she elaborated as to how she knew that. "I used to go here a lot with my friends when we were in college. My friend, Lucas, was—still _is_ —obsessed with Groucho's beer. He said it was the maltiness that got him to move from Texas to New York. He's kidding, of course, because that's just ridiculous."

Josh grinned lopsidedly. "Good reason, but _I_ personally think it's the bitterness."

Maya made a face as if to say _if you say so_ , and reached for her own bottle to take the tiniest sip. She had no problem with drinking alcohol, but she wasn't into it as much as when she was younger. Besides, she still wasn't finished with the iced tea she ordered earlier.

"No way," Josh spoke suddenly, much to Maya's surprise.

Alarmed, Maya straightened in her seat and asked, "What? What is it?"

Josh pointed at a sticker plastered on Maya's laptop. "You went to NYU, too?" he demanded. "When did you graduate?"

"About three years ago," Maya answered while keeping her eyes trained on her laptop screen. She minimized the window that she was on and double-clicked on a new Word file. Taking a break from handling Tan House Events clients for over two weeks made Maya temporarily forget how many forms she had to fill out when working with a new client.

"Huh." Josh exhaled, leaning back in his seat and taking another swig of his beer.

"There's something wrong with this document," Maya muttered, her eyebrows furrowing. "Josh, when did you say was yours and Sophie's anniversary again? I need to document it, but this Word file isn't cooperating with me at the moment. I'll make a sticky note for it in case I forget."

"Nineteenth of February," Josh replied. When Maya nodded in response, he leaned his elbows on the table and edged toward her. "I graduated from NYU about the same time you did, but how come I didn't see you around campus?"

"I don't know, Josh," Maya stated distractedly, still focused on the Word document in front of her. She adjusted her laptop's position on the table so that it functioned as a wall between them.

"The most logical thing I could think of is that because we had different majors—obviously," Josh continued. He propped his elbow on the table, with his cheek resting on his palm. His eyes were still trained on Maya. "I mean, I was doing journalism and you were probably doing . . . whatever you call the major you had to take to learn how to coordinate events."

Maya sighed. It wasn't hard to conclude that Josh was a chatty individual. His mouth didn't seem to run out of words, which made sense because he wouldn't have made it as a journalist if he hadn't. But then again, she played a part in her current situation. She'd been busy with the important documents that she presented him the opportunity to replace what would have been an awkward silence between them with his endless string of words.

Maya finished with the documents in due time. When she noticed that Josh was busy taking a sip of his beer, she seized the opportunity to speak first. "Okay, so what do you have in mind for your proposal?" she inquired. "Just throw everything at me, never mind how ridiculous or pricey it is."

"See, that's the problem," Josh remarked, tapping his index finger on the rim of his beer bottle. "I don't know how or what I want to do. That's also the reason why I'm sitting across from you right now."

"Okay, so that definitely did not help—but that's all right, there's no rush. We're just getting started." Maya turned back to her laptop to double check the next few questions she needed to ask. "I need to know, though. Do you have a specific date as to when you want to propose? Or are we working freely here? Like, it doesn't matter when we get this proposal preparation done."

"I plan to propose on our sixth anniversary, which I just told you is on the nineteenth of February next year," Josh answered. "I could tell Sophie that we should lay low with our anniversary celebration next year—you know, just chill around the apartment and bask in one another's presence—when in reality, I'm actually planning to propose to her. She'll never suspect anything."

Maya nodded her head. "Good, at least now we have a deadline to work around."

Josh was quiet as Maya typed his responses on her laptop.

"Okay, so now I'm going to have to ask you to help me on this one," Maya enunciated. "We're going to build a platform, all right? Since you have no idea how you're going to propose, we're gonna start from the ground level, then we'll work our way up."

Josh nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

"Let's start with Sophie. Tell me what she's like," Maya demanded. "Appearance-wise, personality-wise, what are her primary interests, what are her hobbies—things like that. Introduce me to her. Go."

Josh spun his bottle of beer. "For starters, Sophie is beautiful— _absolutely_ gorgeous. Her hair's long and dark. She's got warm, brown eyes, which is unquestionably my most favorite thing about her, appearance-wise. She's like a princess, you know? The superhero's main love interest—the woman the hero would always fight hard for. Her face is so unbelievably regal that I have this weird theory in which I believe Sophie actually belongs to a royal family somewhere in a different part of the world," he narrated, chuckling. His gaze shifted somewhere over Maya's head, lost in a daydream.

"What else?" Maya goaded, fingers ready to type Josh's responses.

"She's smart, graduated early from college—a semester before I did, at least," Josh informed with a proud grin on his face. "I was an English major and she was in Business Management. You're from NYU, so you know that those two buildings are right next to each other. But, anyway, that's beside the point. We were already living together around the first year of our relationship. We rented an off-campus apartment because it was cheaper. Then again, that's _also_ beside the point. What I was _really_ trying to say is that Sophie graduated early from college, and ever since then, she'd taken over Miller Boutique. It's that clothing shop on Avenue Road right next to that Greek restaurant."

Maya's face lit up. "Hey, that's where my best friend gets all her pencil skirts tailored! I didn't know it was Sophie's. Last I heard, the place was owned by Francine."

"Francine passed it down to Sophie when she and her husband got divorced. The boutique has been Sophie's for a couple of years now," Josh informed, which he realized after was something he shouldn't have mentioned to Maya, especially on their first meeting. "How do you know Francine?"

"My best friend Riley's husband, Lucas, owns a company that afforded him an extensive series of connections all throughout New York City. And because I happen to be best friends with him, I get to know a lot of people through him," Maya explained with a wave of her hand. "I also know Linda, the front desk person at the boutique."

"And yet you don't know Sophie," Josh noted with a taunting smirk.

"You're right, I don't," Maya agreed. "Well, I don't actually go there _all the time_ , so that's probably why I don't know your girlfriend. And even when I _do_ tag along with Riley whenever she feels like getting a new skirt, it's always Linda that I see at the boutique."

Josh chuckled. "Yeah, Sophie really isn't a constant presence at the boutique recently," he stated as a certain emotion Maya couldn't identify crossed his features. "She's been traveling a lot, attending every fashion conventions in the country." He grabbed his bottle of beer and drank what remained inside.

Maya's bottle remained barely touched; it was still filled with alcohol all the way up to the bottle's neck. She noted that Josh didn't seem to acknowledge that she hadn't been drinking. If he did, he didn't make a show of it.

Josh's phone chimed from his pants' pocket, notifying him of a new message. He brought it out and inspected the text, his fingers typing a response within seconds.

While Josh was on the phone, Maya chanced a look at the time displayed on her laptop's screen. It was 7:30 in the evening. She didn't know they'd been holding this meeting for so long. But considering Josh was twenty minutes later, it imposed a setback in regards to the duration of their meeting.

"Sorry, that was Sophie," Josh announced after he pocketed his phone. "She was asking what time I would be home. She wanted to know if she should cook dinner or just order Chinese."

"Oh!" Maya declared. She closed her laptop shut and started bundling up her things. "You know what? Let's just call it a night. Our hour's almost up anyway, so it wouldn't really hurt if I let you go seven minutes early."

"Are you sure? I just told Sophie to order Chinese because I wasn't sure what time we were going to be done with our meeting—oh, and don't worry, I didn't tell her anything about meeting an event coordinator," Josh stated. He pulled out his phone again and plugged in his passcode. "I guess I'll just text her again and let her know I'm on my way home."

After Josh received Sophie's reply, he paid for the drinks he ordered and left Groucho's. Maya trailed after him, struggling to put on her navy blue beanie over her head. It was still November, but the weather felt like it was January, when the winter's unforgiving cold would rage mercilessly.

"Oh, Jesus," Maya muttered under her breath as her arms reflexively wrapped around her shivering body.

Josh turned to her and flashed her a modest smile. He was beginning to shudder, too. "So, I'm not going to be available for the next two days, but if I can get a lot of things done at the office by Friday . . . hmm, let me see." He paused as he mentally browsed through his schedule for the rest of the week. "Yep. Friday. I can meet you again on Friday night. I'm taking Sophie out on a date on Saturday, so Friday's really the only day that I can squeeze you in."

Maya nodded in accord. "Friday should work fine," she responded. "My schedule's full for the rest of the week anyway. I'm trying to make up for lost time at Tan House Events, so I'm going to have to accept new clients."

"That's good then," Josh commented.

"Yeah, that should keep me occupied until Friday," Maya stated. "Anyway, I gotta run to Topanga's. They have these new champagne cronuts with chocolate ganache that they only serve at nighttime because, obviously, we don't want cronut-drunk people walking 'round New York City in daylight."

"Topanga's?" Josh asked with curiosity.

"It's that coffee shop just around the block from the NYPD," Maya explained, tucking a loose strand of hair in her beanie as a cold breeze flew by. "It's fairly new that's why you probably don't know about it yet. It's a great place, though. Good food, amazing customer service—"

"Let me guess, you have connections with someone who owns the place?" Josh gauged, a grin spreading across his face.

Maya chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I do. My best friend's mother owns the place—oh, wait! That reminds me." She zipped open her cross-body bag, pulled out a small brown paper bag, and handed it to Josh. "They're probably squished by now, so I apologize."

Josh took the paper bag from Maya and opened it to examine the contents. "Thanks," he said. "What are these?"

"Only the best cronuts in the entire New York City," Maya answered proudly, wearing a gratified smile to accompany her enthusiasm. "They're exclusively available at Topanga's, so if you end up liking them and you want to get more, you know where to find them. Remember: it's just around the block from the NYPD."

"You want to know what I think? I think I might have to keep you around for a long time," Josh declared as he lifted the bag of cronuts Maya gave him.

"Oh, really? So you're planning on keeping me around even after all this stuff with the proposal is done?" Maya teased with a smile on her face.

Josh shrugged, returning Maya's grin with one of his own. "I'll have to invite the woman who helped me with the proposal to the actual wedding ceremony, don't I?" After a brief pause, he added, "And to get free cronuts, of course."

"That's what I thought," Maya replied.

Josh's phone chimed again, which gave him the indication that he had to get going. Maya, too, had to go if she wanted to score some of those champagne cronuts with chocolate ganache before they ran out. Those cronuts never last long on the shelves.

Maya took it upon herself to say goodnight first.

"Have a nice night, Ms. Hart," Josh replied with a small wave.

Josh turned on his heel and headed toward the right, while Maya started her path toward the opposite direction. She hadn't gotten that far yet when she decided to strike one last glimpse of Josh. A wide smile plastered on her face when she noticed that Josh was already looking back at her over his shoulder. He waved goodbye again using the hand that held the bag of cronuts, and Maya returned his gesture with a wave of her own.

"Don't be late, Mr. Matthews!" Maya reminded, referring to their scheduled meeting on Friday. She recognized that it was the same parting phrase she told Josh yesterday, and suddenly had a strong gut feeling that she would utilize it again and again.

"I'll try not to, Ms. Hart!"

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and don't forget to let me know what you think :)**

 **P.S. I just want to thank the Joshaya fandom for being the sweetest and most supportive people! I appreciate you guys.**


	4. Best Friends in Need

**A/N: Would you look at that? Another update! I'm no longer gonna be following the MWF schedule I told you guys about because I'm just so excited to release everything. I think I might be more excited than you guys with this story (oops!). Anyway, thanks for the feedback you guys gave for the last chapter. I always love reading what you think and the little theories you gave made me smile, especially since I know what the future holds for our dear Joshaya.**

 **So, without further ado, here's Chapter 4. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: Best Friends in Need**_

If there was anything in the world that could cheer up Andrew Williams, Josh knew it was the Grab-A-Burger. Before they headed out for their lunch break, Josh noticed something amiss regarding his best friend. It wasn't that Andrew looked sad—Josh knew how Andrew was like when he was sad about something—but he seemed distant. Like, his mind had drifted into a different dimension.

When Josh suggested having Grab-A-Burger for lunch, he expected Andrew to jolt back to life with excitement. The suggestion did reward Josh with a reaction from his best friend, albeit it was to agree to go with him. However, their arrival at Grab-A-Burger didn't change the troubled expression on Andrew's face, even after they ordered and claimed their food from the server.

"Okay, you're really freaking me out here," Josh commented as he watched Andrew mindlessly unwrapping his double cheeseburger. "What's going on with you?"

Andrew bit into his double cheeseburger, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm being tested," he uttered, his gaze transfixed on somewhere behind Josh. "That is all this is—I'm being tested, I'm so sure of it now."

This time, it was Josh's eyebrows that furled together. "Tested? On what?"

Then, as though he flicked a switch, Andrew returned to his old chatty self. "Jasmine!" he exclaimed, eyes glinting with exhilaration.

"What about Jasmine?" Josh queried. He felt himself relax when he realized that, even though it didn't happen instantaneously, Grab-A-Burger did work its magic on his best friend yet again.

"I bumped into her this morning at the printing room and—"

"Oh, did you?" Josh interrupted with a mocking tone of voice.

Andrew nodded. "Moments like that happen organically between me and Jasmine—I don't even have to force them or anything," he rambled with a casual shrug. "Anyway, like I said, I bumped into her this morning at the printing room and I asked her if she would like to grab a drink with me tonight. Of course, being the hard-to-get woman that she is, she refused."

Josh watched Andrew dunked a fry in ketchup before slumping back in his seat. He sported a massive smile on his face, which was a big contrast to how he looked when they first arrived at the burger joint.

"So, Jasmine refused to go out with you— _again_ —and you're happy because . . . ?"

Andrew straightened in his seat and crossed his arms on the table. "I finally figured her out, simple as that," he responded. "That woman lives for challenges. If she wants to be one, then I'll let her be. You know I'm never one to back out of a challenge, no matter how tough it— _she_ —might be."

Josh raised his burger like he was giving a toast. "I wish you all the luck, man. May you win the woman of your dreams."

Mimicking his best friend, Andrew raised a ketchup-dipped fry and said, "Oh, I will."

Josh laughed as he worked on finishing the remainder of his burger. He still had an unconsumed boat of French fries, unlike Andrew, who was constantly switching between taking huge bites of his double cheeseburger and dunking fries in ketchup.

"By the way," Andrew piped up. "How's your big project coming along? Have you found a subject you want to write about?"

With a sigh, Josh replied, "I mean, I found _something_. I'm still doing some research and brushing up on the details before I present it to Filomeno, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough. Honestly, for me the topic _is_ interesting, but of course, I've got to keep Filomeno in mind. I have to put myself in his shoes, you know? Is this something that he wants to publish in his magazine or is this too easy?"

Josh had something more to say, but he found himself holding back his tongue. He didn't know what prompted his hesitance, but Josh wanted to tell Andrew that he felt terrified. As much as he tried to put on a brave face for everyone, most specifically in front of Filomeno, the five-page spread intimidated him eminently. In five months time, Josh could lose his job. And he couldn't afford to do that—not when he had a good future to secure for him and Sophie.

"Look, I know it's something that you don't do anymore, but why don't you try scoping outside of New York again?" Andrew suggested with caution. He knew of Josh's recent decision to limit his business trips in an endeavor to stay close to Sophie. "I'm sure Sophie would understand. It _is_ your job _and_ your future that's on the line here."

Josh sipped his soda. "I _did_ scope outside of New York. The story that I'm researching is in Connecticut, and with Sophie leaving again for a business trip . . . I think I can actually pull this one off," he responded.

"Where's your lady going to this time?" Andrew inquired before he shoved some fries in his mouth. News of Sophie leaving town wasn't new to Andrew any longer. Just like Josh, he grew accustomed to her constant absences.

"Los Angeles," Josh answered. "She's going to this four-day fashion convention hosted by Valentina Mendez. Andrew, if you saw her face when she told me that her favorite fashion designer was going to be there, you wouldn't be able to say no to her. To Sophie, Valentina Mendez is like _the_ fashion goddess—other designers be damned."

Andrew nodded. "Trust me, I know," he enunciated. "Remember that one time the two of you invited me over for dinner? Yeah, when you were in the bathroom, Sophie didn't hesitate to talk my ears off when she saw the preview of Valentina's new summer line collection."

Josh chuckled. He pushed off his boat of fries to the side, feeling his appetite diminish. "I wanna say that I felt sorry for you back then, but I really didn't," he teased, reaching for his soda cup and taking a quick sip.

"Listen, I wish I could give you a better advice in terms of your big project, but what I can tell you right now is that you shouldn't give too much thought into it," Andrew advised, ignoring Josh's teasing as he began cleaning up his side of the table. "Just know your story and trust your abilities. Present that idea to Filomeno and if he ended up not liking it, you still have time to scope for a new subject. You never know, the story that you're actually meant to write about might just be in front of you this whole time."

"If this is your way of asking me to write about your buzzcut for five pages, then it's definitely not working." Josh stood up from his seat and chucked his crumpled greasy wrapper and empty soda cup in the garbage can. He likewise disposed of what little remained of his fries.

Andrew scrapped his garbage as well. "Ah, so you finally admit that you're jealous of my hair."

"What hair?" Josh mocked, which earned him a light punch on the shoulder from Andrew.

Josh laughed while the two best friends began their walk toward the exit. As they exited the establishment, Andrew emitted an emphatic groan that caught the attention of a group of high school students making their way inside the burger joint.

"I am not looking forward to going back _at all_ ," Andrew complained as he caught sight of the street that led back to _People's Verse_ 's office building.

Andrew didn't have to name names, Josh knew that only one person could annoy him to wit's end—Randell Dodson. He was one of _People's Verse_ 's employees, who worked in the same department as Andrew and who was extremely clear with his devious intention to sabotage everything that Andrew did.

"What did Dodson veto this time?" Josh asked, turning his head to look at the disgruntled expression on Andrew's face.

Andrew exhaled, stepping to his left to avoid colliding with a passerby. "He said he didn't like the font color of the heading, which is _absolutely_ ridiculous because I'm using the _exact_ color scheme that Filomeno wanted to do for that page. I'm serious, Josh, Dodson's definitely going to catch these hands one of these days. Ever since he got that stupid promotion, he thinks he can just boss me around and get away with it."

"Just take it easy, man," Josh advised, reaching over to pat his best friend on the shoulder. "Dodson can't suck up to Filomeno forever, you know that. Besides, if it makes you feel better, I heard Jasmine's not his biggest fan either. At least now the two of you have something in common. You guys can talk about how much you hate Dodson."

"Is there any chance that Filomeno sent out an email telling us to take the rest of the day to ourselves?" Andrew stated, taking out his phone from his pocket. He pouted when he realized he didn't have any email notifications from his editor-in-chief.

"That's very unlikely. The only thing that could lift that man's spirits up is his own daughter. Bethany could trip while walking down the street and Filomeno would cancel all of his meetings in a heartbeat just to check on her," Josh replied as he pushed the pedestrian button to cross the street.

Andrew lifted his chin in thought. "Maybe if we kidnap Bethany . . ."

Josh laughed. "Sounds tempting, but no. I have a job to save, remember? If anything, I'd be running at superhuman speed to rescue Bethany. Maybe that'll make Filomeno take my name off his list."

The "Walk" sign lit up and the two best friends crossed the street.

As soon as they were off the crosswalk, Andrew turned to Josh and asked, "How did it go with Frosty, by the way? Did she agree to work with you?"

Josh smiled. "We're functioning under a rather peculiar business deal, but it's going well so far."

"She seemed to know her way around the break room very well, though," Andrew noted. "Did you notice that? If she visits Zay all the time, I wonder why we never see her around at the office."

Josh shrugged. "Maybe Zay's keeping her holed up in his cubicle all the time to prevent her from getting harassed by Dodson," he reckoned. "You know he's never one to choose his victims."

"You just have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Andrew agreed with a scowl.

As the two best friends turn the corner, Josh didn't have time to stop himself and collided with a brunette, sending her stacks of binders tumbling to the concrete ground. The impact didn't faze the brunette as she carried on with her phone conversation.

"What do you mean they bailed on hosting Thanksgiving?" The brunette paused to let the speaker from the other end of the line reply. She adjusted her thick-rimmed reading glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose.

Josh and Andrew bent down to help the brunette gather her fallen binders and the loose sheets of paper that slid out. She hadn't yet given the two men a glance as she remained concentrated on her phone call. The frown on her lips and her knitted eyebrows gave Josh and Andrew the indication that the conversation was nowhere near pleasant.

"I hosted Thanksgiving last year and you and I both know how that went!" the brunette exclaimed, still sitting on her heels on the ground. "I _know_ that was last year and things would probably be different this time around, but do you really think everyone wants to see another episode of 'When's the Baby Coming?'"

The brunette got up to her feet, and Josh and Andrew followed suit. They both stood there with the brunette's binders in their hands, waiting for her phone call to end. Neither of the two wanted to intervene because they both saw how engrossed she was in her conversation.

"Yes, you're right. Let's pick this up again tonight. Good luck with your meeting." She paused again. "We'll figure this one out, I promise. I love you, too."

The brunette ended her phone call and only then did she notice Josh and Andrew standing in front of her. She flashed them a tensioned smile and said in one breath, "Ain't nothing better than my husband telling me that his parents bailed on hosting Thanksgiving this year and I'm apparently next in line for the throne."

Without waiting for a reply, the brunette grabbed her binders from Josh and Andrew's arms. She uttered an apology and thanked them before she adjusted her reading glasses again.

"Good luck with hosting Thanksgiving," Andrew told her.

"And you're welcome," Josh added with a smile.

The brunette gave them a smile in response before she resumed her journey down the street. Josh and Andrew watched as she brought out her phone again and dialed someone's digits.

"Hey! Are you available for a late lunch? I'm stressing and I need to rant," was the last thing Josh and Andrew heard the brunette say before the crowd swallowed her.

* * *

"You asked to see me, Mrs. Friar?" Maya greeted the second she sat herself down on the seat across from Riley. The latter had a bunch of papers sprawled on the table, which made her easy for Maya to spot.

"I believe I did," Riley replied, taking her eyes off the paper she was grading. Abigal Adams High School had a pep rally that day, canceling all her afternoon classes. Nevertheless, Riley worked to finish the papers she needed to grade. The week proved to be a hectic one for her; the least that she could do to ease her tension was to lessen the workload she had to do before the weekend.

"So, what's up?" Maya inquired, peeking at the papers on the table and recognizing the name of the student. Riley always yapped about how much she adored her students, and Maya genuinely loved to hear about them. It was nice to see Riley's students progress as the school year went on.

"Oh, you know, just grading papers," Riley replied. "I want to get these done before the weekend. Lucas agreed to let me tag along with him to his business trip to San Francisco. I told him I won't be much of a distraction because I'm going to be hanging out with Isadora the entire weekend."

"How is she doing, by the way? I haven't heard from her since she and Farkle moved in together."

"Isadora's doing great—they're both doing great," Riley replied. "I told her I'll be in town over the weekend, and with a single snap of her fingers we have a spa appointment."

"Hmm, that sounds really nice," Maya commented. "I wish I could come, but . . . you know, priorities."

Riley hummed in agreement before she took a reasonable amount of ungraded papers and pulled an answer key from a blue folder. Making sure to grab a red pen in the process, Riley handed the items over to Maya.

"Will you help me grade these, please?" Riley pleaded with a smile that she hoped would make Maya help her. It wasn't that the latter needed convincing, but this wasn't the first time Riley asked her best friend for some assistance. She knew how slothful Maya could be when it came to grading papers— _Math_ papers.

Much to Riley's relief, Maya readily took the papers from her hands and began correcting some of the students' work. By the fifth paper, Maya had most of the answers memorized. She breezed through the rest of them.

"I'm hoping this isn't the only reason why you invited me here for a late lunch. You did say you wanted to rant," Maya declared, marking a student's answer to question eighteen as incorrect. "Also . . . where's the food? I'm starving!"

"Auggie's bringing it over," Riley answered. "And no, helping with grading papers is _not_ the primary reason why I asked for you to meet me here. I was on the phone with Lucas a while ago and guess what he told me."

Maya's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"His parents bailed on hosting Thanksgiving this year, so they asked me to do it— _again_ ," Riley announced exasperatingly. "For once, I was happy that I wouldn't stress about it like I did last year—and you know how _terrible_ last year was—but now . . . and then there's that _thing_ that's definitely going to add to the stress."

The inaugural year of Lucas and Riley's marriage, a particular issue came forth between both parties' parents. It wasn't because of any unpleasant tension among the two parties; the issue rooted mainly from both Lucas and Riley's parents wanting the couple to have their first child. Riley didn't feel that she was ready for it, and nor was her husband, but their parents had been encouraging them to get on with it, saying how excited they were to have a grandchild to care for and spoil.

"The Friars and the Matthews finally realized that Auggie is already too grown-up to spoil, so they're pressuring us to give them a grandchild as soon as possible," Riley informed.

Maya sighed. "Why can't you just straight up tell them that you're not ready for that yet?"

"I'm going to," Riley said with finality. "I'm going to talk to Lucas tonight and tell him that we'll let our parents know together that we're not ready to have a child yet. Lucas's busy with his company and I'm handling about a hundred kids five days a week."

"Good for you," Maya responded. "I'm sure the parents will understand. At the end of the day, it's still yours and Lucas's decision to make. This is your family—your _future_ family—we're talking about after all."

The food that Riley ordered earlier arrived and, with a quick 'thank you' to Auggie, the two best friends dug in.

"Anyway, enough with this baby talk," Riley stated as she drizzled some olive oil dressing on top of her salad. "De-stress me before I get stressed again because of the Thanksgiving dinner. Talk to me about your life. What's new with you?"

Maya finished her stack of papers. She capped her red pen and said, "Life's been busy recently. As far as I'm concerned, there aren't any new gallery events coming up around the city, so I've been spending less time in my studio, which I _hate_ , by the way. I'm still creating pieces, but I'm not as strict with my time as when I was doing those five pieces for the Atford Gallery. Other than that, I'm currently handling two new clients: one for Tan House Events and one from Canvas. Both of which demands a _lot_ of my time."

Riley's eyebrows rose, impressed. "You know, I _still_ don't get how you manage to do everything in twenty-four hours. Do you still sleep?"

Maya laughed. "In the long run, you just gotta learn how to manage your time if you want to survive in this cruel, cruel world."

Riley passed her best friend a look that implied she made a good point. "Tell me about your projects," she goaded, ridding herself of the dreadful thought of menu planning for the Thanksgiving dinner next weekend.

"I got an email from my Canvas account two days ago from the board director of NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee. They wanted to host a benefit concert in support of child violence, and she asked me to be the team's Creative Art Director for the project. I accepted, of course. The job was for a reputable cause; I didn't have to take a second to think about jumping on board."

"That's _amazing_ , Maya!" Riley responded ebulliently. Her eyes glinted with admiration for her best friend.

"I know," Maya agreed. "We're holding our first meeting on Monday. Leigh said we're going to talk about the basics of the benefit concert and all the artists she's considering to become part of the whole shindig. It's happening in February of next year, which gives us three months to work on it."

Riley enthused further about how incredible it was that her best friend took the job and that if Maya ever needed an additional pair of hands, she would be more than inclined to lend hers. She'd always been involved as a volunteer in beneficial cases like these, even back when she was still in high school.

"Anyway, about that other client—"

Her phone chiming with a new message interrupted Maya. She took it out from her bag to see that the text was from Leigh.

 ** _Leigh Robinson_ ** — _Hey! Are you free to meet up today? I want to talk to you before our first official board meeting on Monday. I thought I'd ease you into what's gonna happen before I submerge you with all the work. Call me as soon as you're free._

Maya typed a quick reply, which included the time and place she had at the top of her head.

"Duty calls," Maya informed Riley afterward, waving her phone in the air. She stood up from her seat and placed the papers she marked on top of the stack of graded papers. "I gotta run. I'll call you tonight, all right? Let me know how it went with Lucas."

Riley nodded. She stood up from her seat and leaned over to press her cheek against Maya's in a goodbye kiss.

"Tell Lucas I said hi!" Maya called out before she disappeared through the crowd of customers waiting to get their caffeine fix.

* * *

 **There you have it! I know there weren't any Joshaya moments in this chapter, but I wanted to showcase the main characters' friendships outside of each other. Also, I wanted to introduce two of the three subplots of this story, which are Jasmine and Andrew's little "romance," and Lucas and Riley's marriage. The third subplot will be revealed later on. Lastly, I also foreshadowed a little something in this chapter. Let me know what you guys think it is.**

 **Thanks for reading guys! I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	5. A Sense of Harmony

**A/N: Okay, this one's a little shorter than the previous chapters, but I still hope you guys will like it. I don't really have much to say other than thank you for the reviews you've sent. I do enjoy reading them, and they always ALWAYS make me smile.**

 **Here's the fifth chapter ... enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5: A Sense of Harmony_**

Josh sat on the chair in front of Filomeno's desk, his leg bouncing in anticipation.

"It's been a week, Matthews," Filomeno spoke as he stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, watching the bustling streets of New York City below. "How's your big project coming along?"

Josh cleared his throat. "I've been researching non-stop for a story."

Filomeno hummed in response. He didn't utter a single word for the next few minutes, which made Josh feel even more overwrought. Filomeno had always been an intimidating figure. Josh had felt frightened by his editor-in-chief on numerous occasions before, but he hadn't experienced such extreme anxiety while waiting for Filomeno to end his prolonged silence.

Filomeno turned away from the massive window and glanced at Josh. "You said you've been researching?" he questioned.

Josh nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That must mean you've encountered numerous possibilities," Filomeno enunciated. He sat down on his office chair and folded his hands on top of his mahogany desk. "I'd like to hear all of them."

Josh's eyebrows rose. " _All_ of them? Mr. Filomeno, I only have . . . one."

Filomeno's facial expression remained impassive, though he gestured for Josh to narrate his finding.

"All right," Josh began, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I have the details written down on my notepad, which I don't have with me at the moment. I'll try my best to remember as much as I could, though."

"Go on, Matthews, I don't have all day."

Josh nodded. "If you remember, there was a nationwide manhunt for a syndicate named Archer Kent about a year ago. He operated mostly around Connecticut, but due to the manhunt, he was forced to hop from one state to another. Now we know that he's already been captured and locked up in the ADX Florence, _but_ what we don't know is that Archer Kent has a daughter: Valerie Wentworth."

"What about her? Is she about to put herself in her father's shoes to resume what has been preempted?" Filomeno interrogated.

Josh shook his head. "No, not even close," he answered. "Kent's daughter didn't even know he existed until the beginning of last year, and that explains why she has a different last name. I did some research of my own and I learned that if it wasn't for this man Valerie met, who was actually an undercover agent for a private organization, she wouldn't have learned about Kent."

Filomeno remained tight-lipped, and Josh carried on.

"But that's not even the whole story," he narrated, edging on his seat. "You see, the agent's parents were murdered back in 1996. Kent was the one to blame for it. Although he did get imprisoned for his crime, Kent escaped almost as quickly as he was captured. His escape made the agent feel that his parents' death wasn't justified properly. And so, after years of learning everything he could about Kent, he put his plan to action and sought out his daughter. The agent pretended to be a student at Valerie's university to befriend her and use her as bait to lure Kent out of his hiding.

"However, during the operation to take down Kent, the undercover agent . . . Well, he fell in love with Valerie. Much to his surprise, Valerie reciprocated his feelings. Mr. Filomeno, I'm telling you, this story has _massive_ potential! An undercover agent falling in love with the daughter of the syndicate who murdered his parents? Can you imagine the moral conflict that agent went through? He must've felt torn between following his heart's desire and be in an honest relationship with Valerie, and pushing through with his plan to keep using her as bait to justify his parents' death! This is _exactly_ the angst people eat up!"

Josh finished his feature story proposal and waited for Filomeno's response. If he was feeling anxious earlier, Josh certainly couldn't feel that any longer. After laying out his proposal on the table, he felt confident that Filomeno would approve of the story. Filomeno had always preferred the kind of tales that held a twist in the end—an epiphany—and Josh perceived that his undercover agent and murderer's daughter romance storyline was just right up his boss's ally.

"Matthews," Filomeno began, "when I hired you to become part of my team, what was your knowledge of _People's Verse_?"

Josh licked his lips. "I knew that it was a magazine that featured the most remarkable and inspiring stories of certain individuals."

Filomeno nodded. "Exactly. Those, quote-unquote, remarkable and inspiring stories, are what got us to this point. _People's Verse_ is one of the strongest and critically acclaimed magazines for the past ten years, and we continue as so. Now, tell me, Matthews, do you think your romance storyline is something that fits the criteria that you, yourself, has described?"

The glint of excitement from Josh's eyes faded as he shook his head. "No, sir, it doesn't."

"Your story entails _tragedy_ , Matthews," Filomeno explained, his gaze rigid. "Do you really believe that our readers will feel inspired after reading your story? That type of narrative is something that you submit to the New York News because they are the ones in charge of bad news. As one of the journalists for my company, you should know that _People's Verse_ covers what the New York News does _not_."

"Yes, you're right. Of course," Josh agreed, though his eyes were downcast. He really thought he had it in the bag.

Filomeno cleared his throat as he reached for his favorite silver pen and clicked it. "If you said that you only found one possible feature story—which I turned down—I advise you start your research again immediately. The clock won't stop ticking for you, Matthews."

* * *

Leaving Filomeno's office with a dejected expression on his face, Josh resolved to tell Andrew first about the bad news. He trudged toward his best friend's cubicle only to find that it was empty. Andrew's cubicle neighbor, Charlotte, informed Josh that Andrew went on a trip to the break room. Andrew hadn't gone back for fifteen minutes.

Josh thanked Charlotte before he made his way to the break room. Upon entering, Josh found that his best friend wasn't alone. Jasmine, the primary reason for Andrew's absence from his desk for fifteen minutes, was with him. Standing next to Jasmine was Maya, who's presence took Josh by surprise.

"Hey, Josh!" Andrew greeted when he noticed his best friend's arrival, then reverted his attention back to Jasmine. "Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie sometime. I know it's November and it's freezing outside, but there's an _amazing_ drive-in that I found yesterday that I think we should check out. That is if you don't mind getting a little chilly—"

Jasmine stopped stirring her coffee and turned to Andrew. "Let me guess," she interrupted. "You'll ask me if I won't mind 'getting a little chilly' because you'll be there to keep me warm?"

Maya snorted from alongside Jasmine. The same as the latter, she was stirring her own cup of coffee. She opened one of the drawers and snagged a pink Sweet 'n Low packet.

"I was going to say we could snuggle under the softest and warmest blanket you've ever seen and touched in your entire life," Andrew retaliated with a tinge of sass, placing his hands on his hips.

Ever since Andrew told Josh he'd take on Jasmine's 'challenge,' he'd been approaching Jasmine's rejections with the same attitude she'd been giving him. Andrew figured that if Jasmine saw that he could get on her level, she'd realize that Andrew was worth her time.

"Mm-hmm," Jasmine taunted with a roll of her eyes.

Josh parked himself next to Maya and grabbed his red mug from the cupboard overhead. He poured himself some coffee and turned to face Maya. "Not that I'd kick you out or anything, but what are you doing here at PV?" he questioned as he disregarded Jasmine and Andrew's amusing banter. As much as Josh wanted to watch his best friend attempt to score a date with Jasmine, he found Maya's presence at his workplace a mystery that he couldn't wait to solve.

"A certain individual named Zay Babineaux demands my company—and he was craving wontons, so I decided to bring him some," Maya responded with a smile. "But it's not his lunch break yet, which explains why I'm currently holed up here in the break room."

Josh nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. He winced when the hot liquid scalded his tongue.

"I would've waited for him at his cubicle, but I'm very familiar with how things work around here," Maya added, making a circling motion with her hands. "I may not be a PV employee, but I have no intention whatsoever of getting called out by your boss for distracting Zay during his business hours."

"Smart move," Josh commented with a small smile.

Maya chuckled. She took a cautious sip of her coffee to test if she added the perfect amount of creamer, nodding approvingly when her coffee tasted how she wanted it. Tapping her teaspoon on the rim of her cup, Maya returned her attention to Josh, and gone was the smile he sent her way earlier.

"Hey, why the sad face?" Maya questioned.

Josh set down his cup of coffee on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "I just got out of a meeting with Filomeno, and it didn't go the way I wanted it to," he asserted. "I was _so_ excited about my feature story proposal—it was a story with a massive potential, and Filomeno crushed all of it by saying that my story was something that the New York News would publish. I don't have anything against the New York News, but Filomeno's comment honestly made me feel . . . I don't know . . . degraded."

Andrew and Jasmine's bickering carried on in the background as Maya placed a consoling hand on Josh's shoulder. Though they only knew each other for a week and had merely established a professional relationship, she knew that a friend was what Josh needed at the moment.

"Josh . . . maybe . . . maybe Filomeno has a point," Maya spoke prudently. "You said that Filomeno turned down your story because he knew that something like that doesn't belong in his magazine, but . . . maybe Filomeno did what he had to do to, you know . . . push you even more."

Josh averted his eyes from the floor to look at Maya. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Maya shrugged. "I don't really know what kind of dynamic you have going on with Filomeno, but speaking from my _own_ experience, I once had a boss who never failed to get on every single one of my nerves. At first, I thought she was doing it for the sake of pissing me off, but as time went on, I realized that she was pushing me because she knew my true potential. She had an objective, and that was to help me discover just how much I was actually capable of. Up to this day, I'm still thankful she did that to me."

Josh grew quiet as he processed what Maya shared with him. He knew Maya was right. Filomeno _did_ give Josh a second chance to secure his position in the company; he could've fired Josh on the spot, but something prevented that from happening.

With gathered thoughts, Josh turned to Maya with a huge grin on his face. "Thank you, Maya," he stated. "I haven't thought of it that way."

"Filomeno is just encouraging you to try harder in a way that he knows how. Sure, he might be pushing you a little too hard, but just remember that he only means well," Maya remarked. She raised her cup to her lips and took a sip.

"You know, when I hired you to become my event coordinator, I didn't realize I was also signing up for a shrink," Josh joked.

Maya gagged on her coffee, causing Josh to laugh. He abruptly covered his mouth when he realized that Maya choking on her drink wasn't a laughing matter.

"Oh my god, I am _so_ sorry," Josh apologized, plucking two sheets of napkin from the dispenser and handing it over to Maya.

Andrew and Jasmine turned to Josh and Maya.

"What's going on over here?" Jasmine questioned solicitously. "Are you okay?"

Maya nodded as she wiped the coffee that dribbled down her chin with a napkin. "Josh said something I wasn't totally expecting, then I just started snorting coffee down my face," she explained. "I didn't die though, so I'm okay."

After cleaning herself up, Maya traversed the room to scrap the napkins she used in the garbage can. She regarded the three people she was in the break room with and said, "I guess that's enough coffee for me today."

Jasmine agreed before taking note of the time. "All right, guys. My lunch break's over in about five minutes, so I better head back to my desk," she announced. She passed Josh and Andrew on her way out of the break room but paused when she was next to Maya. "Save me some of those egg rolls, would you?" she requested with a playful smile.

"Girl, do you even have to ask? I bought those with you in mind," Maya replied.

"Hart, you're the best." Jasmine backtracked toward the counter and plucked an egg roll from the take-out box.

"Egg rolls!" Andrew exclaimed, pointing a finger at Jasmine. " _That's_ what it takes to get you to go out with me!" He paused for a moment then added, "Right?"

Jasmine was halfway out the door when she spun back to acknowledge Andrew. "I don't know, why don't you try and see for yourself?" she teased with a raised brow.

With a bite of her egg roll, Jasmine made her exit from the break room.

The second the door closed, Josh whistled. "Damn, Andrew. I think you actually made progress."

"I swear to God, that woman is going to be the death of me," Andrew responded with a hand on his chest, feeling the heightened beating of his heart.

Maya scrunched her face charmingly as she made her way back toward the counter. "I think you guys are adorable," she declared. "I've known Jasmine ever since she and Zay got partnered up for projects, and I've never seen her challenge someone as much as she does with you. You didn't hear this from me, but I think you might actually have a chance."

Andrew's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm," Maya hummed. "Trust me, Jasmine likes a man who can keep up with her."

Andrew's eyes widened. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad I made a plan to show her that I am _exactly_ all that she's looking for."

"You just have to be patient with her. She'll come around eventually," Maya advised. She opened the microwave door to reheat the egg rolls and Zay's wontons.

With an impressed grin on his face, Andrew folded his arms and said, "We should definitely hang out sometime. You could tell me everything there is to know on how to sweep Jasmine off her feet."

Maya laughed. "And what do I get in return?"

"A lifetime supply of friendship courtesy of yours truly."

Watching Andrew and Maya make plans, Josh tried to hide his broadening smile by raising his cup to his lips, though the crinkles on the corner of his eyes divulged his amusement. Even back when they first met, being around Andrew always put Josh in good spirits. His best friend radiated infectious happiness and he admired him for it.

Leaning on the counter with his hands wrapped around his coffee cup, Josh regarded Maya. Although their relationship felt professional than platonic at the moment, Maya had offered Josh more than her time to help him with his marriage proposal to Sophie. He and Maya didn't have the history Josh and Andrew had, but she didn't hesitate to give him a piece of advice when he told her of Filomeno's rejection. Josh knew that she was being careful with her words earlier, yet she managed to say what he didn't know he needed to hear. They might have only known each other for a week, but Josh recognized that he hadn't clicked with anyone as fast as he did with Maya.

As Josh listened to Andrew and Maya make plans, the demeaning feeling Josh had from Filomeno's repudiation a while ago vanished to nothing.

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter : Give Me Hope by New Politics.**_

 **Fun fact: The story that Josh told Filomeno is actually a story I wrote last year. It's finished, but I never really felt confident about it. If I had a dollar for every plot hole in that story, I'd be rich.**

 **Let me know what you guys think! I know this one's short, but I promise, this is the only short chapter you're gonna get for the rest of the story.**

 **Thanks for reading, guys! :)**


	6. Withering Intentions

**A/N: All right, I've got a long one for you! This chapter is one of my favorite chapters I've written, and I hope you guys will love it as much as I do.**

 **Before we get to the actual chapter, I have decided on a ship name for Andrew and Jasmine, and the best I came up with is "Jandrew." If you guys can come up with something much better than that, let me know. And they also have an official theme song, it's called "Give Me Hope" by New Politics. Listen to it, read the lyrics, and I'm telling you, it's got Jasmine and Andrew written all over it!**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 6. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: Withering Intentions**_

Hiking her purse higher up her shoulder, Maya arrived at Topanga's to find Josh lingering outside the establishment. He paced back and forth as he clicked on his phone to check the time.

"Hey, you. You're ten minutes early for our meeting—"

Josh spun on his heels the second he heard Maya's voice. "Oh, good, you're here," he said as he grabbed her by the wrist. "We gotta go, we're gonna be late!"

"Hold on— _we_?" Maya questioned.

Josh eyed an oncoming taxi and flagged it. The moment the yellow vehicle pulled over in front of them, Josh opened the passenger door and ushered Maya inside. He followed after her and immediately informed the driver of their destination.

"Why are we going to NYU?" Maya asked. She sat back on her seat when the taxi started moving.

"I promised Sophie's younger brother, Donnie, that I would watch his play tonight," Josh explained. "He's the main lead _and_ he directed the whole thing. Everyone in his family has already seen the play on its opening night—well, maybe except for Sophie. We weren't able to come with them because of work, so we promised we'd watch him some other time."

Maya pursed her lips. "I don't want to come off as anything, but I don't think I was invited," she said. Her eyes gazed out the window and caught sight of the familiar establishments that lined the vicinity of New York University. She saw the cafés that she and Riley frequented when they pulled all-nighters, as well as the university flags that decorated every lamppost.

Josh reached into his coat's pocket and produced two tickets. He handed one to Maya. "Now, you are," he said. When the nonplussed expression on Maya's face didn't change, he added, "Sophie was supposed to watch it with me tonight, but you and I both know she's busy over at Los Angeles."

Maya took the ticket from Josh's hand. "If that's the case, thanks for taking me. I probably wasn't your first choice, but I'd be happy to accompany you."

Josh grinned at her as the taxi stopped in front of NYU's performing arts center. Ignoring Maya's suggestion to split the fare money, Josh handed a couple of bills to the driver and hopped off the vehicle. He circled the taxi and opened Maya's door for her, thanking the driver as she slipped out.

The pair strolled inside the performing arts center, but they abruptly stopped in their tracks upon noticing that the lobby was empty. Confused, Josh peered through the small rectangular window on the auditorium door and discovered that no one was inside.

"Uh, Josh, are you sure there's a showing tonight?" Maya interrogated as she searched for any sign of a staff member.

"Let me check," Josh responded. He pulled out his ticket and cursed when he took note of the time. "Oh god, I completely got the time wrong. The play doesn't start for another two hours."

"Oh."

"I probably got my schedule mixed up. I'm so sorry about that," Josh apologized.

Maya shook her head with a smile. "No, it's all right," she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't mind waiting. Besides, I kind of miss being here at NYU. It brings back great memories."

Josh glanced at his surroundings, his eyes glinting with reminiscence. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed as he set his gaze back on Maya. "We should walk around and see what's changed."

"That's a terrific idea. Let's go."

* * *

After Josh revisited his college days while exploring the English building, and Maya had given Josh the tour of the fine arts building, the pair found themselves trudging toward the science center. They decided to visit the science fair after realizing they still had an hour and a half before Donnie's play begins.

Josh and Maya entered the science center and went straight to one of the activity halls were the science fair was.

"Oh, wow," Maya muttered.

The vociferous chatters of students and professors were the first thing Maya heard as she and Josh walked through the augmenting crowd of fair attendees. Multiple booths dedicated to every branch and sub-branch of science lined the whole activity hall: chemistry and biochemistry, physics and biophysics, biology and microbiology; geology, meteorology, zoology, botany, and et cetera. Some booths had poster boards that contained information about its branch of science, while others attempted to teach their material through various mini-games.

Josh and Maya continued walking with no specific destination in mind. Neither spoke a single word as both their heads turned from left to right, taking in everything as much as they could. They passed by the oceanology and the astronomy booth. The pair breezed through the Earth Science section but found themselves lingering much longer on the chemistry booths. A group of organic chemistry students captivated Josh's interests as they lectured him about the olefin metathesis reaction mechanism, while Maya demonstrated her fascination with peptide bonds in the biochemistry booth from across the aisle.

"Hey," Josh called as he nudged Maya's elbow. His short lesson with the organic chemistry students had finished and he crossed the aisle to see what Maya was up to. "I was thinking we should probably grab something to eat after we're done checking out the rest of the fair. I can't remember if we're allowed to bring snacks in the auditorium, but in case we're not allowed, at least we'd be full."

Maya jounced her head. "Yeah, sure," she answered before she thanked the biochemistry students for giving her their time.

The pair reached the end of the chemistry aisle and decided to view the numerous booths dedicated to physics. With a brief glance at the biophysics and quantum mechanics booth, they continued strolling leisurely down the aisle. Although they didn't stop by any specific booths, Josh and Maya collected physics related trinkets and stickers from the students.

As they were about to turn to the biology aisle, two physics students from a nearby booth waved Josh and Maya over.

"Let's see what they've got," Josh whispered to Maya.

The two physics students beamed at the pair while they presented each a set of three darts.

"Would you like to try our game?" one of the students asked.

"Color Me Popped," Maya read. "What's the game's objective?"

"The primary goal of the game is to try to hit three paint-filled balloons," the other student who hadn't spoken before explained. "The catch, however, is that the wall where the balloons are pinned to will be shaking the whole time. It may sound easy, but considering the fact that the wall will be moving the entire time at different intensity levels per stage, it's going to be a challenge trying to nail all the required number of paint-filled balloons. It's a game of physics, after all. You've got to think about trajectory."

"Ugh, I sucked at physics," Maya declared, then she turned to Josh. "Why don't you take the reins on this one?"

Josh shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he responded as he gestured at one of the students to hand him a set of three darts. "This should be fun."

The student handed Josh three pointy darts and reminded, "Three chances are all you have."

"What? No wildcard dart?" Josh teased.

One of the students shrugged, an apologetic grin on his face.

"Good luck!" the other student remarked as she pushed a button and the wall began to rattle vehemently.

Josh shook his hands before he positioned his first dart in its best angle. Squinting his eyes, he hurled the dart toward his chosen target. The shot was a near miss, like a fleeting touch, but Josh scored it. Triumphant, Josh looked smugly at one of the students. He glanced at Maya next and his smile grew wider when he spotted a satisfied grin on her face.

"All right," the student spoke. "Stage Two."

Narrowing his eyes, Josh aligned the dart with his chosen paint-filled balloon. The wall shook for the second time with the intensity upped to another level. After finding the perfect moment, he took the shot. It was another near miss, but the dart hit the target, causing the balloon to pop and spurt a stream of yellow paint.

"Impressive," one of the students commented as the other smiled proudly.

Josh had one dart left and one paint-filled balloon to pop. If he succeeded on the third and final stage, he'd win the game. More determined than ever, Josh took the same position he was in when he effectively hit the first two balloons and got ready to throw the dart at any given time. One of the students intensified the shaking to another level, and the whole game became more taxing. Josh found it difficult to anticipate when his chosen balloon would pass the point where his angle was. He licked his lips, heart throbbing, as he threw the last dart.

Josh averted his eyes from the wall the moment he heard a loud _thud_. Turning to see one of the students smirking at him, Josh assumed he'd hit the jackpot. However, one look at Maya signified that he thought wrong.

"Better luck next time," one of the students said as he gathered all the things necessary to clean the mess Josh created from playing the game.

"You did amazing, though," the other student complimented with a soft smile.

With a defeated expression on his face, Josh led Maya away from the physics booth.

"Well, that was fun," Josh noted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Maya nodded. "I'm sorry you didn't win. They _did_ tell you the game would eventually become challenging."

"Yeah."

The two of them hadn't walked that far yet when they both heard the students calling them, waving their arms in the air. "Wait, get back here!" they screamed in unison.

Josh and Maya looked at one another in utter confusion, but resolved to follow the students' instruction anyway. They headed back, and the second they arrived at the physics booth, a balloon started leaking with purple paint. No one else tried the game after them, so Josh and Maya were certain the balloon was still from their session.

"You're one lucky man," one of the students noted. "Congratulations."

"You should be proud of your boyfriend, he's got quite an eye," said the other student.

"Oh, no—" Maya denied.

"We're not—" Josh interjected.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"We're just business partners," Josh supplied.

"Yeah, business partners."

The students nodded in understanding, apologizing afterward for the incorrect assumption. After congratulating Josh once again on his win, the students turned their backs to Josh and Maya and prepared another set of balloons for the next person who would attempt to play the game.

* * *

After that incident with the physics students, Josh and Maya decided it was time to head back to the performing arts center. They agreed to grab something to eat first, purchasing tacos and little cups of frozen yogurts from the small restaurants in the Student Union building.

The pair scored an empty lobby bench in a secluded area near the auditorium where Donnie's play would be taking place. Josh handed Maya her taco as she passed him his cup of frozen yogurt.

"This is really nice," Josh remarked while he worked on the wrapping of his taco.

"What is?" Maya asked. She drew out her laptop from her backpack and booted it up.

"This." Josh gestured to the two of them. "It's a . . . little something new for me."

"Are you telling me you haven't gone to a science fair and ate a taco and frozen yogurt with someone before?"

Josh swayed his head. "Oh, I've definitely done this before. It's just that my days normally involve waking up early, going to the office, working for hours, and then coming home—usually to an empty apartment. Working for _People's Verse_ is time consuming, so I barely ever have time for myself. Even on the weekends."

"You have time now," Maya noted.

"Right now I do because I _made_ time."

Maya kept quiet after that and ate her food. Once her laptop booted up, she typed in her password and her cluttered desktop appeared in front of her. She opened a document entitled, "J&S_Proposal," and scrolled to the bottom of the page, where she last left off with her notes. Maya opened her mouth to tell Josh that they should work on his proposal plan while they still have time, but had to shut it close when he spoke up.

"Why didn't I see you around before?" Josh wondered with furrowed brows.

"Didn't see me around where?"

"If we both went to NYU at the same time, why didn't I see you around campus back then?" Josh elaborated.

Maya chuckled, amused that they were talking about their college days again. "Does it keep you up at night?" she inquired.

"What?"

Maya rolled her eyes. She put down her taco and worked on her frozen yogurt instead. "Does the fact that you didn't see me around campus keep you up at night?" she explicated, a mocking smile on her lips.

"No."

"Then, it's not important." Maya turned back to her notes. "Now, let's get to work before we have to go inside the auditorium."

Josh's eyebrows remained creased. "I'm serious. It doesn't keep me up at night, but it bothers me _now_. I feel like we should've at least seen each other at some point or passed one another in the hallways."

"There were thousands of students that went to NYU the same year we did. You couldn't possibly know every single one of us," Maya stated

"Hey, if you think I'm friendly now, you should see me back when I was in college," Josh defended. The same as Maya, he cast aside his taco and began digging into his half-melted frozen yogurt. "You can ask Sophie. She used to always complain—well, _jokingly_ complain—how many new faces I introduce to her on the daily."

"I don't know what secret hallways you slipped through back then because I walked the entire campus almost every day," Maya said. "I had to constantly look for inspiration for my projects."

Maya scooped a spoonful of her frozen yogurt and shoved the cold treat in her mouth.

"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I was most probably cooped up in my and Sophie's apartment," Josh ventured.

Maya pointed her small plastic spoon at him. "Look at you answering your own questions!"

Josh still wasn't convinced, despite his own input. He refused to let the topic drop unless he had the clearest response to his inquiry. "No, that couldn't be it—hold on, I think I figured it out," he pressed on.

Maya laughed. The notes in front of her forgotten. "I think I do, too."

As her absentminded response to the new information she and Josh uncovered individually, Maya leaned forward and said it along with him, their own versions of the explanation overlapping one another. "The English building and the fine arts building are located on the opposite ends of the campus," Josh declared as Maya uttered, "Our buildings are literally a continent away from each other!"

The two of them burst into their own fits of laughter, both humored by their new discovery. It all died down eventually when they realized their frozen yogurts had turned into colorful puddles inside their small cups. The atmosphere within the performing arts center was warm, hence why it didn't take long for the frozen treats to melt.

Losing her appetite due to her deformed frozen yogurt, Maya set her treat aside and turned back to her laptop. "All right, we've ignored this since we got here. Your proposal plan desperately needs some attention. Let's get down to business, Mr. Matthews!"

Ignoring Maya's attempt to get him to cooperate, Josh scooped the last of his frozen yogurt and asked, "So, what's your story?"

Maya's eyebrows creased, bemused by Josh's query. She wasn't sure whether she asked her previous question a little softly that he didn't hear it or he chose not to acknowledge it on purpose. Either way, she turned to him and replied, "What do you mean?"

Josh shrugged as he leaned against the wall. Maya sat next to him with her legs tucked underneath her and her back hunched a little. Her pastel-blue-cased laptop was resting on her lap, the glowing backlights of the keyboard seemingly mocking him.

"You're an event coordinator, but you're a fine arts graduate," Josh uttered.

Maya put her laptop aside, the initial intention to work on Josh's marriage proposal was beginning to wither. "I'm actually a _substitute_ event coordinator, but I'm primarily a struggling artist," Maya corrected with a grin. "What's wrong with that, though? At least I'm making proper use of my time."

"I didn't say that it was bad, I'm just curious."

Maya bit her lower lip as her brain went into overdrive, thinking of ways she could answer Josh without having to reveal much. He was, after all, a stranger to her regardless of their newfound collaboration. Given that she was mindful of Sophie's importance in his life, Maya still didn't know Josh as his own individual. She didn't know who he was if he was without that connection to his girlfriend.

"You know that thing people say about the art industry? How it's the hardest industry in the world to make a living out of? I'd hate to give in to the stereotype, but it's true," Maya narrated, adjusting the way her legs tucked underneath her. "I've been a freelance artist since my freshman year of college. It got me through those four years—well, my mom obviously helped with the tuition money—but definitely, some of the money spent was my own hard work. Now that I'm done with school, freelancing still keeps me warm and well-fed. As tough as it might be to find a client, I will never give up on being an artist because that's my dream. I look for every art gallery exhibition being held in New York and I try to get my artwork recognized as much as possible. I'm looking to venture out to other states, but I have to put that on hold for now."

Josh jounced his head in understanding. "What about Katy and the Tan House Events?"

In that instant, Maya's eyes flickered downward. Josh attempted to meet her eyes by dipping his head to her level, but she kept it trained everywhere but on him. It was at that moment he realized he hit something within her that he probably shouldn't have. He was about to tell Maya that she didn't have to answer him when she started speaking.

"Katy went away for a while," Maya stated. "She had to, uh, leave New York for personal reasons. She didn't trust anyone else to take over the CEO position, so she asked me to do it temporarily. The job's fun; it's all right—not really something that I would choose as my lifelong career—but, all in all, not a terrible experience. Besides, it's not like it's hard. Why would it be when I've got a best friend who's got connections all throughout New York? His little black contact book has been extremely helpful so far."

Josh took that time to tend back to his half-eaten taco. "How do you do it?" he demanded.

Maya chuckled, which Josh took as a good sign because that meant they were lightening up again. The palpable tension was beginning to diminish, making way for the easy atmosphere they normally had between them. "Funny you asked that," she articulated, "because my best friend said something similar to me the other day."

Josh smiled in response, and Maya carried on.

"Before I became a temporary event coordinator, I was a full-time artist. There had been days when I didn't leave my studio at all. Then, I got that job and I had to learn how to manage my time. Usually I work with three to four clients at the same time, so I categorize them as either my morning clients or my afternoon clients. It depends on the clients' schedule, of course. From morning to late afternoon, I just try to get as many things done as possible, like confirming venues or caterers. By evening, that's when I become who I really want to be. I mostly spend the remainder of my night in my studio just creating pieces after pieces. I could never know when's the next gallery exhibition, so I really try to make as many new pieces as possible."

"How many do you average nightly?" Josh queried.

Maya squinted her eyes in thought. "I used to average about three pieces a _week_ , but I haven't really made any new stuff lately. I'm a little out of it, I guess you could say."

"No one's worth the inspiration?" Josh teased with a raise of his brow.

Maya released a leg from underneath her and prodded Josh's knee with her foot. The nudge elicited a laugh from Josh, who crumpled his taco wrapper and tossed it inside the paper bag that once held their tacos and frozen yogurts.

"No, it's just that I've created so many pieces already that I feel like I've done just about everything," Maya elucidated, her face morphing into something earnest. "Or maybe I've just seen too much of New York that I desperately need to get out of the city."

Josh nodded, taking Maya's cup of frozen yogurt and tossing it in the paper bag. "Maybe you should go with Zay and Jasmine on their next business trip," he suggested jokingly. "Don't tell them I said this to you, but I overheard Filomeno say something about them the other day—"

"Oh, no. They're getting the boot, aren't they?" Maya assumed with wide, worried eyes.

"No, Zay and Jasmine's fine. I don't think they're even on Filomeno's list of employees to remove from the payroll."

Maya exhaled in relief.

"Anyway, Filomeno is planning to do a story about a family in Brazil and he's considering Zay and Jasmine as the chief photographers for the project," Josh informed.

"That sounds like a big deal."

"It really is," Josh agreed. "I've always had the hunch that they're Filomeno's favorite duo."

Maya laughed. "Zay wouldn't take me to Brazil with him. Childhood friend or not, he _despises_ traveling with me because, apparently, I complain a lot. Besides, even if he agrees to let me tag along, I wouldn't go. There's too much work to do here in New York. I can't leave _you_ knowing you're so desperate to plan a marriage proposal for Sophie."

Josh playfully rolled his eyes as he stood up to scrap their garbage. Maya got up to her feet as well, just in time for the auditorium doors to open to the public.

"I was hoping we could catch Donnie before the play starts, but I guess we'll just have to—"

A shout coming from behind him interrupted Josh.

"Hey, Matthews!"

Both Josh and Maya turned to face the owner of the voice. Sophie's younger brother, Donnie, jogged toward them with a huge smile plastered across his features.

"Josh, I'm so glad you could come!" Donnie declared as he caged Josh in a quick embrace.

"Finally, right?"

Donnie laughed. "Yeah, tomorrow's our last run, so I was worried you wouldn't be able to see the play at all."

"I won't be able to forgive myself if I did," Josh responded. "I mean, this is your directorial debut! That's _huge_!"

Donnie's smile grew wider. "Yeah, I thought I'd lose my sanity at first, but it turned out to be a pretty great experience. I'm actually starting to lean toward directing rather than acting."

"That's great!" Josh remarked, then his eyes darted to Maya. "Oh, yeah. Donnie, this is Maya. She's a friend of mine."

"It's nice to meet you, Donnie," Maya said as she shook Donnie's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Donnie replied. "My sister told me she wouldn't be able to come, so I'm really happy that you're here. I don't mind, though; Sophie has seen me act countless times before. I could definitely use a fresh pair of eyes to give me constructive criticism."

"Oh, well, I'd be more than willing to provide an honest feedback after the play," Maya stated.

Donnie's smile widened. "Awesome! So, I'll see you guys after the show? I have to get backstage. Someone has to tell the actors to get in their places," he said as he began backtracking toward the door where he came from earlier.

Josh and Maya waved him goodbye. When Donnie was out of sight, the pair made their way to the entrance of the auditorium. They presented their tickets to the usher, who then led them down the aisle to their seats.

"Hey, Maya," Josh called the moment he and Maya settled in their seats.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for doing this. You know you didn't have to agree to go with me when I gave you Sophie's ticket."

Maya shook her head. "Don't sweat it," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Besides, how many times can you say you've made an acquaintance with the director of the play you've just seen?"

Josh laughed. "If you're going to offer him constructive criticism at the end of the show, I would advise you start calling him a friend. Donnie appreciates people who help him progress into someone better without having to sugarcoat anything."

"He sounds like a nice guy," Maya commented.

"He really is."

Soon enough, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and Donnie took center stage.

* * *

 **There you have it! I introduced a new character again, which is Sophie's younger brother, Donnie. With my stories, I never introduce new characters unless they're going to make a reappearance in the future, so I hope you liked Donnie because he'll be back.** **And I also apologize for geeking out for a moment during the story. I'm a chemistry minor in college right now, and I just _had_ to incorporate some scientifc stuff for you guys and make Maya interested with biochemistry.**

 **Thanks for reading, and like always, let me know what you think!**


	7. The One That Got Away

**A/N: This one took a few days to get published, but I've been juggling writing new chapters and editing the ones I already wrote. Sometimes, I get too all over the place and just can't decide one task to focus on, so I end up going back and forth. Anyway, thanks for the great feedback I got from the last chapter! I'm glad you all like the "Jandrew" ship name and their theme song. And I do agree, Joshaya's so-called "business meeting" didn't seem very business-y at all ;)**

 **This chapter's another favorite of mine, and I'll be introducing yet another new character, _which_ , just like Donnie, will make a reappearance in the near future. And this chapter is also inspired by "Sad Songs" by The Maine. The Maine is my ultimate favorite band, and I was listening to their album Forever Halloween and this song came on and I was like, I _had_ to do something with this song. And here's the end result!**

 **Without further ado, here's the seventh chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: The One That Got Away**_

"Hey, how's Los Angeles treating ya?"

Josh stepped through the front doors of his apartment building and acknowledged the concierge with a smile and a brief nod. He pressed the up arrow button by the elevator as he heard a loud _thud_ from the other end of the call.

"Sophie?" Josh uttered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just . . . I just fell on my ass, no worries," Sophie answered with a chuckle. "I thought if I put you on speaker so both my hands could be free, it'd be easier to put on these stilettos. I was _so_ wrong."

The elevator doors opened and Josh stepped in. He pushed the button for the twelfth floor.

"Why are you dressing up?" Josh queried, brows furrowing. "Wait, are you seriously telling me that you're going to strut around the airport wearing one of your heels from Hell? You did that that one time we went to San Francisco and you didn't let me forget the number of blisters you got from wearing those."

Sophie sighed, pausing for a moment. "About that," she began.

"You got seven, Sophie. Three on your left foot, and four on your right."

"No, I wasn't talking about my blisters," Sophie clarified. "I meant my coming home."

"What about it? Is your flight delayed?"

The elevator dinged and its doors opened to the twelfth floor. Josh stepped off and eventually found his way to the front door of his and Sophie's apartment. Trapping his phone between his cheek and his shoulder, Josh brought out his house keys from his coat's pocket and unlocked the door.

"No, I actually called to tell you that I'm extending my stay here in Los Angeles," Sophie ventured. She was speaking rapidly, which meant that she was beyond excited about something. "I know I promised that I would only be gone for four days max, but . . . Josh, Valentina Mendez noticed my designs and she said she'd like to keep an eye out on me! This is a _huge_ deal and you know that."

Josh nodded, though he knew his girlfriend couldn't see him. "Yeah, I know and I'm very proud of you." He dropped his canvas messenger bag on the kitchen table and slumped down on one of the chairs.

"Oh, and guess what? The industry's holding a gala in honor of her tonight and Valentina personally invited me!" Sophie exclaimed. She couldn't contain her exhilaration any longer that she allowed a squeal to escape her lips. "Being at the front row for her fashion show yesterday was one thing, but being personally invited to a gala in honor of her while I'm at her hometown? Josh, this has always been one of my dreams and it's finally coming true!"

Josh toed off his shoes as a small smile spread across his lips. "I'm really happy for you, Sophie," he told her. He tried to be as enthusiastic as she was, but found it laborious, especially after discovering he and his girlfriend wouldn't reunite like he thought they would that night.

Sophie exhaled contentedly. "I wish you could be here with me tonight," she uttered. "When Valentina told me I could bring a plus one, my mind immediately went straight to you. Can you, by any chance, make a quick flight to Los Angeles before tonight's gala?"

Josh laughed, although it sounded half-hearted. "That's very spontaneous, but I've got loads of work to do. Filomeno turned down my first feature story proposal, so I'm back to researching again," he informed as he stood up from the chair to check the fridge for any leftovers appetizing enough to eat for dinner. When he didn't find any, he shut the fridge closed.

"Aw, really?" Sophie replied, pouting.

"Yeah, I was so excited about the story and then he just went and squashed it like a bug."

From Sophie's end of the line, Josh could hear the tossing of keys and a purse zipping closed.

"Hey, Josh, I _really_ want to stay on the line and talk to you about your big project, but I have to go," Sophie notified apologetically. "Valentina wanted to meet with me before the gala tonight, and I don't want to be late for it."

"Yeah, of course. Have fun."

"Listen, how about I help you with your big project, yeah? I'll try to look for interesting personalities at the gala tonight and we'll see if you can write a piece about them. How many pages did you say Filomeno gave you?" Sophie inquired, locking her hotel door and making a beeline toward the elevator.

"Five," Josh answered.

"Got it. I'll take to you later, okay? Bye, I love you!"

Sophie dropped the call before Josh got the chance to return her affectionate words.

Tossing his phone on top of his messenger bag, Josh surveyed his empty apartment. A pile of dirty dishes remained untouched in the sink, as well as the disheveled couch in the living room. Sighing, Josh grabbed his messenger bag and took out his laptop. He opened it and the screen immediately came to life, showing him the numerous windows of articles he compiled regarding Archer Kent that he hadn't bothered to close.

"Sorry, guys. My boss didn't like your story, so I'm gonna have to say goodbye," Josh muttered to himself as he closed all the articles he had opened. Then, in one swift motion, he selected all the files and dragged them to the trash bin.

Josh closed his laptop and exchanged it with his phone. The quietness of the apartment was deafening and he needed to leave. Plus, he had nothing to eat at the apartment, thus he had a legitimate reason to go out. He scrolled through his contact list until he found Andrew's number. Two rings later, Andrew picked up the call.

"Hey, what's up?" Andrew greeted.

"I'm heading out to get dinner and scout for a new story, maybe hit the bar later if I'm in the mood. I thought I'd call to see if you want to come," Josh informed as he collected his keys and wallet from his messenger bag. He put his shoes back on as well.

Andrew hissed. "Ooh, that sounds like such a fun time, but Dodson is once again out to get me. He found yet another way to sabotage my front cover layout—which is due tomorrow, by the way—and I'm trying to fix it before Filomeno could have the chance to break my neck," he reasoned. "I'm sorry, Josh. You know I wouldn't hesitate to come if I could."

Josh heard the sound of Andrew's keyboard clicking in the background. "No, it's all right," he assured. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"If I'm not already dead," Andrew grumbled.

After Andrew dropped the call, Josh scrolled through his contact list again, pausing at Sophie's name. He considered shooting her a short message but decided against it when he recalled that she was on her way to meet with Valentina Mendez.

It got to the point when Josh considered calling up his old classmate, Arjun. He and Arjun made acquaintances back in college because of a mutual friend. The last time he and Josh spoke was during their graduation, and it was only to congratulate one another for making it through college. As of late, Josh wasn't certain if Arjun still lived in New York.

Josh's stomach grumbled. He didn't wanna go out to dinner alone, but he likewise didn't wanna spend all night searching his contacts for someone he could eat with. In the end, Josh resolved to browse through his contact list for one last desperate time. If his last attempt didn't earn him a dinner companion, then he'd have to suck it and head out alone.

Josh stopped at Maya's name, and without hesitation, he clicked on it. Maya picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Josh," Maya greeted.

"What're you up to tonight?"

"Well, I _tried_ to paint something, but none of the pieces I made tonight spoke to me, so I gave up eventually," Maya answered with an exasperated sigh. "I don't think inspiration's going to pay me a visit anytime soon."

"So . . . you're not doing anything?" Josh asked for clarification.

"Nope, consider my schedule cleared tonight."

"Great! I'm actually on my way out to get dinner and scout for a new story for the big project. I was wondering if you don't mind joining me?" Josh offered, biting his lower lip in anticipation. " _Also_ , I found a possible restaurant I can bring Sophie to for our anniversary dinner, and I thought we could maybe check it out together."

"Sure, count me in," Maya responded. Normally she wouldn't meet with a Tan House Events client without an appointment, but she couldn't refuse the opportunity that'd help her progress in Josh's marriage proposal case, which was a case she _really_ needed to make progress on.

Josh smiled. "I'll meet you outside of The Central Spice."

"Just give me twenty minutes and I'll be there."

* * *

Upon entering The Central Spice, the first thing Josh and Maya noticed was that they were on a balcony. To their right was an elegant glass staircase that curved downstairs to the main dining area of the restaurant. Modern light fixtures lined the high ceiling, giving off the soft, warm glow to the entirety of the establishment.

The hostess acknowledged Josh and Maya with a cordial smile. "Good evening and welcome to The Central Spice! Do you have a reservation for tonight?" the hostess queried.

Maya shook her head. "No, we're actually here to inquire about reserving the place for a special occasion—I mean, not the whole place, but maybe like a small section, so the event could feel more intimate."

"We also want to ask about your menu," Josh supplied from behind Maya.

"That, too," Maya agreed, pointing at Josh with her thumb. "Is your manager available to speak to at this hour?"

The hostess fumbled with her tablet device for a moment. She then gazed back up at the pair. "The manager will be available to meet with you shortly," she informed. "Do you want to be seated down in the meantime?"

Both Josh and Maya nodded and replied in unison, "Yes, please."

The hostess's smile broadened as she instructed the pair to follow her down the stairs. After she led Josh and Maya to a quiet corner table, the hostess informed them that she'd be back with two glasses of water.

"Do you think we'll get charged for the water? I know some restaurants do that," Josh whispered, folding his arms on the table and leaning toward Maya.

"I'm not sure—"

"No, you won't," a man with thin white hair spoke as he approached Josh and Maya's table, an amicable grin on his face. "The Central Spice offers a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, and since we're in compliance with the law, we are required to serve water completely free of charge."

"Thank you," Maya stated as the manager set down the two glasses of water on the table.

"Anyway, my name is Joel Rosenbaum, and I am the owner of the Central Spice," the manager introduced. "My hostess informed me that you are here to inquire about reservations and our menu?"

Josh nodded. "Yes, we are," he responded.

"It's nice to meet you, Joel," Maya said, then she extended a hand and introduced herself. "My name is Maya Hart. I am the head event coordinator of Tan House Events, and this is my client, Josh Matthews."

Joel accepted Maya's hand and shook it firmly. He did likewise with Josh before he claimed the last empty seat at the table. "If I didn't know better, I would say the two of you are a couple," he commented with a hearty laugh.

Josh and Maya glanced at one another, both with widened eyes. Two physics students had mistaken them as a couple before, but having yet another stranger tell them they look like one was something neither thought would happen again.

"It's a good thing we aren't because Josh here is actually planning to propose to his girlfriend of five years," Maya announced, gesturing at the man seated across the table from her.

Joel's face lit up. "Congratulations!" he remarked.

"It might be a little early for that, but thank you," Josh responded, chuckling.

"I keep telling him not to worry about it," Maya said. "If the woman still tolerates him even after five years, I'm sure she's more than willing to stay by his side for the rest of her life."

Joel turned to Josh, his thumb pointed at Maya. "Your friend here is right," he stated. "I'm certain your lady will accept your proposal."

"I sure hope she would. The ring cost me a fortune," Josh joked, which resulted in the whole table exploding into laughter.

"Anyway, should I get you started with anything? Appetizers, drinks? Or do you prefer it if we skip right ahead to the main course?" Joel offered as he signaled one of the waiters to bring them a couple of menus.

Josh shook his head. "Oh, no. We're only here to inquire," he informed.

Joel nodded. "I know. You said you wanted to check out our menu, I'll let you have a taste of them yourself. Don't worry, everything you order tonight is on the house," he said. "Come on, don't be shy. Nobody turns down free food."

Josh snuck a glance at Maya, who gave him a shrug before she opened the restaurant's menu and looked through her options.

* * *

"Ah, here it is, my personal favorite," Joel spoke as the waiter set down a dish in front of him. "Have any of you tried eating fillets of sole shallow with avocado purée and honeyed mango red pepper relish before?"

Josh and Maya shook their heads.

The pair's dishes arrived shortly. Josh opted for the crispy lamb breast with broad beans and chili. Maya ordered the bell peppers stuffed with herbed shrimp, couscous, and zucchini, lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil.

"You should try it," Joel encouraged, gesturing at his dish with his fork. "Mangoes and sole shallow fish together sounds questionable at first, but trust me, the combination is _definitely_ underrated. Mix in some herbed forbidden rice and you've got a stunner on your plate."

While Josh uttered a response, Maya dug into her food.

"This is delicious, Joel," Maya commented after she swallowed her first bite. She worked on gathering her second forkful. "The dish looks pretty simple, but the taste is remarkable. What kind of spices are you using?"

Joel laughed. "Now that's one secret I'll never tell," he teased.

Maya glanced across the table and noticed that Josh hadn't uttered a word. He chewed his food as he worked on slicing his next bite of the lamb breast.

"I know you said that you haven't had dinner yet, but you didn't tell me you're _that_ hungry," Maya taunted with a smile.

Alarmed that both Joel and Maya's attention zeroed in on him, Josh swallowed his food and apologized. "My girlfriend is on this weird diet thing and she dragged me into the whole shindig. Not that I need to lose weight or anything, but she makes me do it with her for accountability purposes. This is the first time I'm actually eating something that's off her list."

Maya forked a shrimp. "Just make sure Sophie doesn't find out about this impromptu rebellion of yours."

"Sophie won't suspect _anything_ ," Josh played along, grabbing his glass of water to take a quick sip. "I was told I have a fast metabolism that prevents me from gaining weight."

Joel laughed, eyes squinted in pure delight. His companions were merely business partners, but he could sense the beginning of a budding friendship. They were unpretentious and comfortable with each other's presences, joking and laughing as though they'd known one another for years.

"You two remind me of my Annie and me," Joel blurted out, much to his own surprise. It was a thought he didn't mean to share aloud with Josh and Maya.

Josh swallowed his food the same time Maya took a sip of her water, both taken aback by Joel's words.

"Is she . . . your wife?" Maya questioned. She placed her silverware down and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Joel cleared his throat. "I intended for her to be, but alas, she wasn't meant to be mine forever," he answered with downcast eyes.

Josh glanced at Maya. She was already looking at him.

"Story," Maya mouthed with a subtle jerk of her chin at Joel.

Josh swallowed. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened with Annie? Why didn't you marry her?" he interrogated.

Joel hesitated at first. Annie Vogel was a story he knew all the words to. He treasured all the memories he shared with her throughout the duration of their relationship, but remembering her broke his heart. Joel barely shared the tale of Annie to anyone. Even so, being in the company of Josh and Maya, who reminded him so much of his relationship with Annie, he couldn't help but divulge the whole story.

"I met Annie back in 1975 when we were both freshman college students," Joel began. "I won't forget the first time I ever laid my eyes on her. I was sat in my Intro to Sociology class, waiting for the professor to arrive, when the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my entire nineteen years walked inside the lecture hall. And out of all the seats she could've chosen, she went for the one next to mine. I was a History major—she was there to fulfill a general education requirement, but we hit it off nonetheless. She always came to me when she couldn't understand something about our topic, and I loved that I was her first source of help."

Joel paused as Josh and Maya remained tight-lipped. He looked so lost in his story that both Josh and Maya were too afraid to say anything that could ruin his moment.

"Eventually, we realized that our attraction to one another was too strong to ignore, and we decided to become lovers," Joel continued. His gaze was distant, making him look like he was under a spell. "We were happily together for two whole years, until that one fateful day when Annie told me that we could no longer be together. I asked her why, and she said that it wasn't her decision. If it was, she would've stayed with me for the rest of her life."

"What happened?" Maya asked. She was so engrossed in Joel's story that she'd forgotten about her meal.

"Annie's father was a good businessman, but his company couldn't stand on its own anymore. The only option Annie's father could think of to save it was to merge with another company—a much bigger and wealthier company. However, along with the deal to merge the two companies, Annie's father also agreed to marry her daughter with the son of the other businessman," Joel narrated. "Annie told me her father did it for the sake of her future."

When Joel finished his story, Maya was too heartbroken to express a comment. Josh, on the other hand, was sympathetic.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Josh stated with a consoling tone of voice. "I know how it feels to have someone we love taken away from us."

Maya's eyes flickered to Josh, wholly surprised by his statement.

"Annie was—and still _is_ —the love of my life," Joel declared as he looked from Josh to Maya. "I never found anyone that could ever live up to her."

"So, you never married? I mean, after Annie?" Maya questioned.

Joel shook his head. "That's why I have this restaurant," he explained. "After I retired from being a History professor, this business has kept me busy. It gave me a lot of things to do and _definitely_ a lot of things to think about. The perfect distraction."

"Are you still in contact with her?" Josh interrogated, his eyebrows furrowed.

Joel flashed a smile, albeit it was sad. "You don't forget your first true love, Josh. She certainly won't forget you, too," he remarked as he reached across the table to give Josh's shoulder a pat.

Josh smiled at Joel's words. It was a statement he would surely remember for as long as he was living.

Joel then turned to Maya and gave her a loving grin. "Since your friend Josh has already found his true love, this one is for you," he said. "When you find your person, don't let them go. Fight for them to the very end even if you know it will kill you. I didn't fight for Annie . . . I don't want you to suffer the same fate as I did."

"I will," Maya promised.

After a short moment of silence, Joel spoke up once again to thank Josh and Maya for their time and company. He reminded them that their dinner was on the house and that he hoped they enjoyed their meal.

Josh and Maya both informed him that they had a great time, and they weren't expecting to meet such a wonderful individual when they first walked in through the doors of the restaurant. They were thankful they did because the pair felt that they found an exceptional friend in Joel.

"I also want to apologize for giving you an earful tonight," Joel uttered. "Surely, you didn't come here to hear my story, and yet the two of you listened. I appreciated that."

Maya waved him off. "Your story made what would've been a boring night interesting," she responded.

"Did you just call me boring?" Josh asked incredulously.

"Oh, you know I was only kidding."

Joel laughed at the pair's exchange. "I hope to see the both of you again sooner than later," he stated. "I know I'll be seeing Josh again with his soon-to-be fiancée for your anniversary dinner. When is it again? I know you mentioned it earlier, but you have to forgive me, I'm an old man."

"It's on the nineteenth of February," Josh answered.

"I'll be seeing you in three months, then," Joel replied. He turned to Maya next. "Don't hesitate to drop by. I'd be more than delighted to have a chat with you again."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After saying his goodbyes, Joel left the table.

* * *

As they waited for a taxi outside of The Central Spice, Josh and Maya reflected on the events that transpired. Most specifically, they thought about the owner of the restaurant, Joel Rosenbaum, and his heart-rending tale of the one that got away.

A cold breeze flew by and Maya reached to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Josh," she called.

"Yeah?"

"I know I was the one who encouraged you to ask Joel about his story, but . . . I don't think you should use his story for your big project," Maya enunciated. "Joel's a great and genuine man and I'd like for his story to remain between just the three of us."

Josh nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I thought the same thing, too," he agreed. He raised an arm when he spotted an oncoming taxi. "I don't want to take advantage of him, especially after what he'd done for us tonight."

Maya climbed into the taxi after Josh opened the passenger door for her. The latter followed immediately and soon enough, the yellow taxi rolled away from the curb and merged onto the bustling streets of New York City.

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter : Sad Songs by The Maine.**_

 **Did Joel just foreshadow a little something-something for our dear Maya? Hmmm . . .**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, I wanna hear what you all think! :)**


	8. Sober Up

**A/N: Happy belated 4th of July! I know I took a while to update this story, but I promised myself that for every new chapter I write, I have to post two chapters online. I'm currently done with chapters 19 and 20, and I'm halfway through chapter 21 even though I'm sorta getting stuck on that one. Chapters 19 through 21 are the "emotional" chapters, so I really want to make them perfect. Get those emotions right . . . right?**

 **Anyway, I give you Chapter 8 today, and hopefully, I'll have Chapter 9 edited for you tomorrow. Enjoy!**

 **P.S. I know we had that age issue thing at the beginning of the story, but I worked out the timeline and I've decided that the gang will be in their mid-twenties. Josh will be older by a couple years or so to maintain the age gap they had in the show.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Sober Up**_

"Shit," Maya cursed under her breath as a huge blob of red paint splattered on her jeans. A _tsk_ accompanied the bad word as Maya dabbed on the damaged spot with a damp cloth. She thought her dirty smock would protect her clothing at all costs, but evidently, the smock was only useful for when she was painting while standing as opposed to while she was sitting.

"Hey!" Zay scolded through the phone.

Maya had put him on speaker when he called a few minutes ago to let her know he was on his way to see Katy. Of course, Zay asked if she wanted to tag along, though he knew that the only thing he'd get from it was rejection.

"Katy's going to freak out when she finds out you've developed a potty mouth," Zay taunted.

Maya rolled her eyes despite knowing that Zay wouldn't be able to see her. She dipped her brush in the palette again, coating the bristles with red paint. "Jeez, Zay, I'm twenty-six. Colorful words like that have a higher tendency to spill out of my mouth than your 'Rated G' versions of them."

If Zay was someone else, he'd feel offended by Maya's retort. Except, Zay wasn't anyone else; he was Maya's childhood friend. He'd spent all his life with her, thus becoming used to all her personality quirks. None of those comebacks bothered Zay because he knew she didn't mean any of it.

"Besides," Maya added, "I don't actually see that 'freak out' happening anytime soon."

Maya heard Zay sigh.

"I know you're tired of hearing this, Maya, but you really should see her. Katy has been at the center for almost eight months now, and she's not getting any better. Yes, she's showing some progress, but they're so _minimal_. I'm starting to think that maybe all she needs to get that extra motivation is to see you. You're her only daughter after all," Zay said.

"Zay, you know I—"

"At least once, Maya. Just visit her _once_."

"I can't, I'm sorry," Maya refused, hardheaded as ever. "She's going to have to find some other means to get better—"

"Maya!"

Maya's brush strokes grew violent as she worked on detailing her piece. It was good that Zay wasn't physically present in her art studio, therefore, Maya wouldn't have any means of inflicting her anger toward him.

"I'm sorry, but sick or not, it's not going to change what she'd done in the past. As insensitive as it sounds, I'm refusing to see her. I'm establishing a new life for myself—and I'm doing really well, mind you—and seeing her again might just lead to her manipulating me into coming back into her 'motherly' arms, _which_ , by the way, is not so motherly anymore. Next thing I know, I'm with her inside that hellhole and I don't have a way of getting out. I don't want that, Zay. I don't want to end up like her," Maya blathered, propelling her paintbrush toward the utility cart she had next to her easel.

"She's _not_ going to induce you to it, Maya. She's your mother who knows what's best for you—"

"If she knows what's best for me, then where is she right now, huh?" Maya challenged, her jaw clenching in vexation. This wasn't how she planned her free time to turn out. For once, she was happy that she was finally getting some much-needed inspiration to work on a new piece. But, no; Zay just _had_ to call her regarding her mother again.

"If you could _please_ just put aside your—"

"I have to go. I just remembered I have a meeting with Leigh this afternoon," Maya interjected. It was a lie, of course, but she needed to extricate herself from the conversation. She removed her stained smock and shoved it on the lower shelf of her utility cart.

"Just think about it, Maya," Zay requested with a somber tone. A certain rustling sound resonated in the background. "If you don't want to do it for Katy, at least do it for me . . . _please_. It's all I ask of you."

Maya stopped. If there was a person she loved more than anyone or anything else in the world, it was Zay. Zay was there when Maya had no one, especially after Katy lost herself. He was more than supportive of everything that Maya did, and not once did he ever abandon her for anyone else. She was family to him and family was Zay's first and utmost priority.

With those thoughts in mind, Maya felt herself beginning to consider giving Katy a chance. However, as rapidly as she thought of it, she recalled what the woman had done and any trivial progress Maya made came crumbling down.

"I can't promise anything," Maya informed Zay, who exhaled in defeat.

"If you need more time, I can give you more time. I just want you to think about it," Zay stated. "You _are_ going to think about it, right? Maya?"

"I'll try."

"I'll settle for that—but just for now," Zay declared as rustling noises sounded in the background. "Listen, I'm sorry that I'm just telling you this, but my boss gave me and Jasmine a new project. Our flight leaves for Brazil tomorrow morning."

Maya pretended what she heard was new information. She tried to be as enthusiastic as possible, yet despite her inadequate attempt, her voice just wasn't coming out right. "Oh, really?" she said. "That should be fun. You're going to Brazil after all."

"The trip is only for a day and a half, so there's really no time for me and Jasmine to get all touristy," Zay informed. "I should be back before Thanksgiving."

"Oh, yeah, about that," Maya stated. "Lucas's parents bailed on hosting Thanksgiving this year, so the party's moving to our favorite married couple's nest."

"Really? How does Riley feel about hosting again?" Zay asked.

"She _was_ actually stressed about hosting again because of the disaster that was last year, but from what she told me yesterday, Lucas decided he'd handle the menu and the cooking this year. He probably did that to compensate for his parents bailing."

"Well, can you tell Lucas to not do what Riley would do?" Zay teased. "I don't think I can do another year of eating burnt Thanksgiving food."

"I'll make sure he hears it." Maya noticed a missed spot on her painting and picked up her paintbrush again to repair it. "Zay, I'll have to let you go. I have plans tonight, so I really need to start cleaning up my studio."

"Yeah, sure. Take a picture of that new piece you're working on. I want to see it."

Maya laughed. "Call me before you get on that plane tomorrow morning, all right? Love you."

After he echoed Maya's affectionate words, Zay dropped the call.

Maya set her paintbrush down and backed a few steps from the easel. Opening her camera, she leveled the lens with the canvas and snapped a photo of her unfinished painting. Just as Maya was about to send the image to Zay, she halted.

On her canvas was a portrait of a faceless old man. Where his facial features should've been was a collection of scenarios painted side by side, chronicling a love story with an ill-fated ending. The side of the old man's head where she painted the forlorn ending withered away, making it seem as though Maya wanted the unhappy ending to disintegrate into oblivion and only the pleasant memories left behind.

Taking one last glance at her painting, Maya deleted the picture she meant to send to Zay and got ready to leave her studio. Grabbing her bag and her sketchpad on the way out the door, Maya decided she'd stop by Topanga's and start brainstorming possible designs for Leigh's benefit concert poster. Leigh hadn't given her any ideas on how she wanted the poster to look like, but Maya figured it wouldn't hurt to have some ideas of her own.

* * *

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Maya arrived at Topanga's. Taking her usual table at the back of the room, Maya began drafting the poster design for Leigh's benefit concert. She already held the tiniest idea as to how she wanted the first design to look like, she just needed to get that idea represented on her sketchpad.

Suddenly, Auggie, Riley's younger brother and one of the coffee shop's high school employees, strode over to Maya's table. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a plate of cronuts in his hands.

"Hey, Maya," Auggie greeted. "Mind if I join you? I've got cronuts."

"Sure. How could I say no?" Maya replied as she gathered her things on the table to make room for Auggie. "Are you on your break?"

"Yeah."

Auggie sat down opposite Maya and placed the plate of cronuts in between them. He extracted a thick, hackneyed textbook from his backpack and heaved the most dramatic sigh Maya had ever heard.

"What's got you breathing like that?" Maya mocked with a smirk, certain that Auggie's sigh meant something.

Auggie wordlessly lifted his textbook and flashed the front cover at Maya.

"Salvador Dalí, huh?" Maya uttered. She couldn't help the proud grin that erupted on her face, having discovered that a young man like Auggie was taking an interest in art. It might be because it was an inevitable topic at school, but Maya nevertheless felt thrilled that he was being introduced to the world of art.

"I have to write an essay about him," Auggie informed, his eyes returning to the book.

"That sounds fun."

Auggie straightened in his seat as a particular thought came over him. "Hey, you're an art person. What do you know about Salvador Dalí? Maybe you could tell me a thing or two about him," he said.

"What do I know about him? Let's see," Maya replied, tapping her chin with her pencil in thought. "Well, Salvador Dalí was a surrealist painter, who apparently had a fascination with melting clocks. If you look at some of his paintings, you would know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah," Auggie agreed, his eyes lighting up in recognition. "My art teacher showed us a slideshow of his famous paintings and I did see the melting clocks in almost everything."

Maya beamed before she continued her lecture. "Salvador Dalí was also known for experimenting with cubism, which is a form of making art where you use geometric shapes to paint a certain subject. People thought his works were quite anomalous that they—"

The entrance door of the coffee shop swung open and Andrew came strolling in. This was the first time Maya encountered Andrew outside of his workplace, hence why she resolved to acknowledge him.

"Hey, Auggie," Maya called as she kept her eyes on Andrew, who just finished ordering and was casually standing off to the side while he waited for his drink. "I'm gonna have to get back to you about Salvador Dalí, okay? A friend of mine just walked in and I'm gonna say hi to him real quick."

Auggie nodded in response, then returned his attention to his textbook.

"Frosty!" Andrew greeted upon seeing Maya's approaching figure. "I didn't think I'd bump into you here."

Maya snickered. "Well, Topanga's is sort of my official hang-out spot. My office at Tan House Events can get a bit cramped, so I almost always go here," she explained, smiling. "How about you? Shouldn't you still be at PV? It's only four in the afternoon."

"Filomeno let us off early today, something to do with his daughter—her birthday, I think, if I heard correctly," Andrew responded. "Anyway, Josh and I decided to celebrate this little miraculous scrap of freedom we got. We're supposed to meet up to grab a bite at Grab-A-Burger then we'd hit The Sixth Box tonight, but Josh's running late. I didn't want to freeze outside while waiting for him, and Topanga's just happened to be the closest place where I could keep myself warm."

Maya laughed at Josh's unpunctuality. "Is he always late?" she queried.

"On a normal day, yes, he is—but he tries, you know, to be more punctual."

A barista yelled Andrew's name and he excused himself to claim his drink.

"So, how's Jasmine doing?" Andrew wondered after he rejoined Maya. "I saw her at the office today, but I never got around to congratulate her on her new project. Zay's coming with her, right?"

Maya nodded. "I was actually on the phone with him a while ago and he mentioned that their flight leaves tomorrow morning," she informed. "Brazil _is_ a big deal, though. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear from Zay and Jasmine for the next couple of days."

"I was supposed to go with them," Andrew ventured after he took a sip of his drink. "Unfortunately, Filomeno changed his mind and said that I'd be much of a better use here in New York. Which makes sense because they're a team of photographers and I'm a graphic designer. I don't really see my purpose there."

"Yeah," Maya agreed.

"Still, it might just be a quick trip, but come on, it's _Brazil._ Who doesn't want to see the Christ the Redeemer statue?"

Just then, Andrew's phone chimed and he brought it out of his pocket to read the message. It was from Josh, asking him where he was. "I have to run," he said.

"Go ahead. You don't want to keep him waiting like he made you wait for him," Maya teased.

After taking the last sip of his drink, Andrew bid Maya farewell and left the coffee shop.

Maya returned to her table the same time Auggie took the last bite of his cronut. "So, where were we?"

* * *

The clock struck ten and Maya still hadn't left her table. After she'd sketched the first draft of Leigh's benefit concert poster, she switched her sketchpad with her laptop and began sifting through her countless emails. She received an event description from a new potential client, but Maya had been holding off her reply.

Maya's phone buzzed from the table and she picked it up, unlocking it to find a message from Riley.

 _ **Riley**_ — _Hey, is it okay if you close Topanga's for me tonight? I'd do it myself but I have TONS of exam papers to grade. I think my ass is stuck on this chair._

 ** _Maya_ ** — _Sure, of course!_

 ** _Riley_ ** — _Also, Lucas's just finishing up at the office. He offered to give you a ride home if you'd take it up :)_

 _ **Maya**_ — _Tell Lucas don't bother. I'm not sure what time I'll finish here and I don't wanna rush him or anything. Tell him thanks for the offer, though!_

As the last of the coffee shop's employees polished off the tables and countertops, swept and mopped the floor, and turned the chairs over so they rested upside down on the tables, Maya declared that Riley had instructed her to close the coffee shop. The employees were all familiar with Maya and her close relationship with the shop's owner, thus they weren't surprised by her announcement.

It didn't take long before all the remaining employees clocked out for the night. Maya saw each one out the door and waved them goodbye. She walked back to the coffee shop to gather her belongings, and after making sure that all the lights were shut off, she headed out and closed the shop. Pocketing the keys, she began her walk home.

Maya hadn't gone that far yet when she heard Josh's voice calling from behind her.

"Maya!" Josh exclaimed.

Maya pivoted so abruptly she swore she had vertigo. "Josh?"

"We're over here!"

"Oh, God."

Maya spotted Josh standing in front of a closed establishment two street lamps away from Topanga's. Next to him was Andrew, bent over as he hurled the acidic contents of his stomach on the pavement. She ran over to the two men, panic-stricken.

"What happened?" Maya questioned the second she reached them.

"He had _way_ too much fun at The Sixth Box. I was gonna take him home and then he just—"

Andrew hurled again, cutting Josh off.

"Jesus. We've got to sober him up," Maya murmured as she caught a whiff of the stench of Andrew's vomit. She seized one of Andrew's arms, hoisted him up to his feet, and said, "Come on, I'll open up Topanga's. He needs coffee."

Josh grabbed Andrew's other arm and draped it across his shoulders. "Are you sure that's okay?"

"I can't let you take him home like this," Maya replied as she began to walk back toward the coffee shop.

It didn't take long for the three of them to reach Topanga's. Josh took Andrew's full weight into his arms so Maya could grab the keys and open the doors of the coffee shop. When the lights turned back on, Maya pulled down a chair from the nearest table and Josh plopped Andrew on it.

"I'll start brewing," Maya said, trotting toward the counter.

Josh shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and tossed it on the table. His eyes made a quick scan of the empty coffee shop before he returned his attention to his best friend.

Andrew made a gagging sound at the back of his throat and his head fell forward, ready to throw up once more.

Josh stopped him. "Not on the floor, bud. The bathroom's over there. Come on."

While Josh assisted Andrew in the bathroom, Maya turned on the coffee maker and took two clean cups from the back kitchen. She also grabbed three bottles of water.

A few minutes later, Josh and Andrew returned from the bathroom. Maya poured a cup of coffee for Andrew, which she handed to Josh's awaiting hands.

"Thank you," Josh said, then he turned to his drunken friend. "Andrew, bud, drink this."

Maya returned behind the counter and poured another cup for Josh. He might be the lesser drunk of the two, but he nonetheless had some alcohol. She thought it would be judicious to get him to sober up as well before he could bring Andrew back to his apartment.

"So, is it safe to say that our friend here is a lightweight?" Maya asked.

Josh snickered. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I didn't realize he'd be such a . . . I don't know, a silent drunk?" Maya commented. "I've had a lot of experience with sloppy drunks, flirty drunks, even sentimental drunks, but definitely not _this_. This is totally an uncharted territory for me and I'm not sure what to do."

"My sentiments exactly when I first dealt with a drunken Andrew," Josh ventured, laughing.

The two fell silent for a moment, watching Andrew sit on his chair wordlessly. He drank the coffee, though, much to Maya's relief. Aside from being a silent drunk, she was afraid Andrew might also be a disobedient drunk.

"Must be nice to have keys to the palace, huh?" Josh spoke.

Maya turned and caught Josh checking out the entirety of the coffee shop.

"Being best friends with Riley has its perks," Maya answered as she scanned the room herself. "Technically, her mom is the one who owns the place, but she lets Riley handle it anyway. Extra income, she said."

Josh bobbed his head. "That sounds nice."

It was quiet between the two until Maya asked, "So, Thanksgiving's coming up. Do you have anything fun planned for tomorrow?" She grabbed one of the water bottles she claimed a while ago and took a sip.

"Just the usual dinner at Sophie's childhood home," Josh replied with a shrug. "You?"

"My best friend's hosting this year again, so of course, I have to be there," Maya answered as she recalled last year's Thanksgiving disaster. "Then, we also have friends coming over from San Francisco, which makes me so excited. I haven't seen Farkle and Isadora since last summer."

Josh jounced his head in response.

Silence befell the two for the third time that night. Their gazes flickered toward Andrew, whose head kept falling forward. He would righten it, only for it to fall forward once again.

"I think he's asleep," Maya whispered.

Josh set his coffee down on the table and trudged toward his best friend to check on him. "Yeah, he definitely is," he said. "I should get him home. Thanks for everything you've done tonight, Maya."

Maya smiled. "It was the least I could do," she replied.

"One last thing," Josh blurted out, a knowing smirk plastered on his face. "I know you're good friends with Jasmine and that Andrew asked you to put in a good word for him the other day in the break room, but please don't tell her that he's a lightweight. He'll never hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, I'll let her find that our herself."

Josh laughed before he decided to wake Andrew up. Within seconds, the latter was up on his feet—albeit groggy—and ready to head home. The three of them left the coffee shop, and once Maya had flicked the lights off and had secured the lock on the doors, Josh and Andrew bid her farewell.

* * *

 **I know not a lot really happened in this chapter, but I'm hoping you guys still liked it somehow. Chapter 9 is gonna be interesting; we'll see how our dear Joshaya's gonna spend their Thanksgiving. I'm excited for you guys to read it!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. A Different Kind of Thanksgiving

**A/N: Hey, so here's Chapter 9 as promised! I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter. I just wanted to clarify though that Andrew really didn't have a reason for getting too wasted. Filomeno let them off early and he had _too_ much fun celebrating the "scrap of freedom" he got. He's also a lightweight, so that's definitely something to factor in.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one! I know it's weird reading about celebrating Thanksgiving while we're currently in the middle of the summer season, but I started this story, like, November of last year and I just had to make the story match the weather.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: A Different Kind of Thanksgiving**_

Adding some cranberries to his still cooking sauce in the pan, Lucas swiveled to face Maya in utter irritation. She'd been nonstop attempting to interpose with his every cooking method, scolding him about his turkey handling and his many odd kitchen etiquettes.

"All right," Lucas said. "You need to _skedaddle_ out of my kitchen."

Maya stopped, a finger hovering above the cranberry saucepan, ready to take a swipe to taste it.

Riley strolled in the kitchen and noticed the tension intensify between her husband and her best friend, which made her conclude that nothing good could ever come out of Thanksgiving. It was fun when she was younger because none of it stressed her out, but now that she was part of the adult world, everything became too much.

"Lay it on me," Riley instructed as she plopped down on a stool. "What did Maya do?"

"Zay, Isadora, and Farkle aren't here yet—and we all know both of your parents aren't going to show up unless it's time to eat—so I thought I'd lend a hand to speed up the cooking process," Maya defended. "We'd be having Thanksgiving dinner for breakfast tomorrow if Lucas did it all by himself."

Riley gazed at Lucas while gesturing at Maya in a manner that implied the latter made perfect sense. She plucked a cranberry from the plastic pouch and popped it in her mouth.

"I wasn't complaining about Maya trying to help—I would actually appreciate it if you continue to do so, but just keep the judgments to a _minimum!_ I don't need to hear you constantly tell me that I'm chopping the carrots incorrectly and that I need to hold the turkey this way and that way," Lucas argued. He turned and gave the cranberry sauce another stir to prevent the bottom from sticking to the pan.

Maya's shoulders sagged as she exhaled in defeat. "You're right, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was only trying to help, really. I didn't know I was becoming too judgmental. You're the one in charge of the food, so the kitchen works the way you want it to."

Lucas nodded in accord before he wrapped Maya in an embrace. Maya, of course, took one final hit at Riley's husband by telling him that he stunk of raw turkey. Lucas didn't mind the insult because he was certain he _did_ stink of the raw meat.

"Okay, now that we're on an agreement, you can finish up the cranberry sauce and I'll start making the stuffing," Lucas instructed, handing Maya the spatula he'd been utilizing for the sauce. He did a 360-turn in search of a new knife he could use to chop the ingredients needed for the stuffing.

"Actually," Riley interrupted, standing up from the stool, "I need to borrow Maya for a while."

"Sure," Lucas responded.

Riley turned to her best friend and asked, "Can you assist me with something? In the living room?"

"Of course."

Maya placed down the spatula on the kitchen counter and followed Riley into the living room. Riley had already arranged the space in that particular way she wanted whenever it was Thanksgiving. Their group had a tradition in which they would gather in the living room and view every single Thanksgiving episode of _FRIENDS_. The parents would claim the couch, while the younger adults would be on the floor, enclosed in a fort that Lucas builds beforehand.

"So, what was it that you need help with?" Maya wondered as her eyes scanned the set up of the living room. She couldn't discern anything that her best friend might need some assistance with. "It looks like the place is all done."

Riley leaned her hip against the back of a love seat and crossed her arms. "I don't actually need your help with anything, but I do need to ask you something," she admitted.

Maya motioned for her to go on.

"I stopped by Topanga's this morning to fetch the sales report folder in the office and I saw that someone had left a jacket," Riley stated. "Do you happen to know who left it since you were the one who closed the shop last night?"

"The jacket belongs to a friend of mine," Maya informed. "Andrew was so pissed drunk last night he couldn't even stand straight, so Josh and I brought him to Topanga's to sober up. Josh must've taken his jacket off and forgot to bring it home with him."

Riley's eyes widened. "You went drinking last night?" she asked incredulously.

"No! No, I didn't," Maya defended with a shake of her head. "The guys went to The Sixth Box and I saw them as I was closing Topanga's for the night. Andrew was a puking mess and I felt bad for Josh, so I volunteered to help sober Andrew up before Josh could take him home."

Riley paused. "Josh. Andrew. I've never heard of these guys before."

"Well . . . this is going to be a long story, so I think it's best if we sit down," Maya remarked before she led Riley to the nearest couch. "Remember that one time we were grading your math papers at Topanga's and I mentioned that I had four new clients?"

Riley nodded, having remembered the benefit concert that Maya was the Creative Art Director for. It was then she realized she never learned who the other three clients were.

"Josh is one of my other clients," Maya disclosed. "I know Katy's business doesn't take up any proposal and wedding events anymore, but I just _had_ to make an exemption for this guy. He and his girlfriend had been together for five years, and I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that they aren't married yet. Riley, if you saw his face the first time I met him, you'd understand. He looked helpless—the guy just wanted to propose to his girlfriend and who was I to prevent that from happening, right?"

Maya delved deeper into the story, telling Riley of the bargain she made with Josh and all the meetings they'd been holding. She kept her story strictly professional, avoiding anything that she knew Josh didn't want to publicize.

"Hmm, you know how I always say 'the more the merrier'? Why don't you invite Josh and his girlfriend over for dinner tonight?" Riley suggested.

"I don't know about that," Maya commented. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she encountered a few tangles. "Josh told me last night that he's celebrating Thanksgiving at his girlfriend's childhood home. I don't want to intervene."

Riley didn't press any further. Maya had a solid point.

Lucas suddenly appeared in the living room. His face perspired as he bore a troubled expression on his face.

"What's wrong, honey?" Riley asked. She got up from the couch and walked over to her husband.

"I thought we had sweet potatoes," Lucas answered. "I was wrong. They were pumpkins—chopped up pumpkins—for the pumpkin pie. I called Zay to ask him if he could pick up some potatoes on his way here, but he said he was stuck in traffic. He's not sure if he could get the potatoes here on time."

Even before Lucas could speak it, Maya stood from the couch with an arm raised, volunteering herself. "I'll go get the sweet potatoes," she declared. She stalked toward the front door and grabbed her coat, shrugging it on with ease.

"Thank you." Lucas sighed in relief. "Auggie's gonna kill me if I don't have those sweet potato fries I promised him."

Shouldering her bag on her way out the door, Maya heard Riley instructing her husband to check the turkey while she took charge of the pumpkin pie.

* * *

Maya wasted a great deal of time getting to the nearest grocery store (the traffic was hellishly unforgiving), that's why the second she walked inside Faulkner Groceries, she immediately went for the sweet potatoes.

Over time, grocery shopping had become one of Maya's favorite things to do, especially in a grocery store as massive as Faulkner Groceries. The place always had mini kiosks for taste testing new food products, and numerous small restaurants lined up the main vestibule of the store. As Maya made her way to the fresh produce section, she withstood the temptation to stop and taste a new brand of Italian bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Likewise, she resisted the urge to stop at the small coffee shop to grab something hot to drink on her way back to Lucas and Riley's house.

Maya easily navigated her way around the produce section and found the root vegetables within seconds. She grabbed as many sweet potatoes as she reckoned would be enough to feed every single person in the group and headed to the self-checkout section. On her way there, she passed by the liquor aisle and spotted a familiar tall figure. His back hunched over as he examined the liquor selection situated on a lower shelf.

Unhesitatingly, Maya took a detour at the liquor aisle. Zay was already bringing over a variety of beverages to accompany the Thanksgiving feast, so purchasing yet another one was unnecessary. The sight of Josh, however, made her feel a sudden urgency to go over and talk to him.

"Small world, don't you think?" Maya greeted and Josh's head snapped in her direction.

A wide grin broke across Josh's face as he straightened up. "Maya, hey! How's it going?" he asked.

"Stressful, like how it should be on Thanksgiving," Maya replied. "As it turned out, my friend Lucas didn't buy any sweet potatoes for tonight, so being the wonderful friend that I am, I volunteered to get some for him."

Josh chuckled. "Yeah, I can't say I relate to the stress part."

Maya's head cocked to the side. "Why not? Shouldn't you be at Sophie's, perhaps helping someone cook tonight's dinner?" she inquired.

"My dad couldn't make it at the last minute. He's a physician and he got called in at the hospital tonight. Then, George, Sophie's dad, got held up with work at the NYPD and won't be home until later. The same thing with Donnie—he's spending the 'first half' of dinner at his girlfriend's house. Sophie is still in Los Angeles, and Maria doesn't really want me in the kitchen while she cooks," Josh explained, followed by the heaviest sigh he'd ever mustered.

"Well, aren't you a thrilling bunch," Maya noted.

Josh laughed. "Yeah, I don't really know where to put myself exactly. I can't sit around the house knowing I could be doing something productive with my time—"

"So you decided to buy some wine," Maya finished.

"Mm-hmm."

After a moment of silence, Maya had an idea. "If you . . ." she hesitated. "If you don't have anything else to do, you can come over at Lucas and Riley's house for a bit and hang out with me and my friends. Maybe you could pull a Donnie and spend the 'first half' of dinner with us, and then you can eat to your heart's content with the Millers after—but that's just an offer. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Josh's smile broadened. "Are you kidding? I'd love to hang around, but . . . are you sure your friends won't mind?"

"Lucas's currently cooking up a storm for tonight, and Farkle and Isadora are bringing some more food even though we told them not to. Something's telling me that we won't mind having another mouth to feed," Maya reassured.

"All right, I'll be there."

Maya grinned. "I'll text you the address," she said as she backed away from the liquor aisle. "Dinner starts in half an hour. Don't be late."

After parting ways, Maya brought out her phone and messaged Riley regarding the new addition to the dining table. The latter, of course, felt thrilled to have Josh over for dinner.

* * *

Zay opened the front door and felt utterly surprised to find his colleague on the other side.

"Matthews?"

From the dining area, Maya jolted upon hearing Josh's name. She abandoned her task at hand and sprinted toward the front door, jostling Zay off to the side unintentionally.

"Hey, you made it!" Maya greeted with an exuberant tone. She was sure she yelled the greeting rather than vocalize it in an even tone. "Oh, and you're not late—for the first time!"

"Hold on," Zay uttered as he reappeared on the threshold. "Josh, what are you doing here?"

Josh and Maya shared a glance as though they were consulting one another on what to say to Zay. They both shook on an agreement where they would keep the marriage proposal project as hidden as possible. The fewer people that knew of it, the less likely Sophie would find out.

Josh gave Maya a subtle nod, giving her the signal she needed to start talking.

"Josh stumbled across Tan House Events online. His cousin is, uh, turning eighteen and he hired me to organize the biggest birthday celebration ever!" Maya elucidated. She sighed in relief when Zay's eyebrows relaxed as Josh's newfound association with Maya gradually made sense.

"She'll only turn eighteen once, so I figured she deserves it," Josh supplied.

A look of gratitude passed between Josh and Maya.

"Since Katy's on an indefinite leave, you got Maya instead," Zay summarized to himself. "That makes perfect sense."

Riley and Isadora suddenly popped up behind Zay and Maya. They both had bright smiles on their faces.

"Oh, who's the dreamboat?" Isadora questioned, beaming as she eyed the stranger from head to toe.

"This is Josh," Maya introduced. "Josh, these are two of my best friends, Riley and Isadora. And, of course, you already know Zay."

"Hey, I recognize you!" Riley exclaimed while pointing a wooden serving spoon at Josh. "You're one of the guys I bumped into on the street last week!"

Josh's eyes squinted in thought, but they widened when recognition dawned on him. "Yeah! And you're the girl who's stressing about babies and hosting Thanksgiving!" he declared, a smile on his face.

Maya's eyes flicked back and forth between Josh and Riley. Alongside her, Zay and Isadora did the same.

"Why don't you come in? You've been standing out in the cold since you got here," Riley said as she ushered Josh into her home and into the dining area.

Zay and Isadora trailed after Josh and Riley.

Maya remained stood in the foyer, a hand on the doorknob. "Yep, this world is _definitely_ small," she muttered as she shut the front door closed.

* * *

When Maya walked into the dining area, Riley announced that she'd double-check if they got everything on the menu ready for the Thanksgiving dinner.

"Lucas, why don't you go and introduce Josh to everyone else?" Riley commanded, a certain glint in her eyes as she sauntered toward Maya and hooked an arm around hers.

"Oh, I can do that. I invited Josh after all," Maya argued. She tore away from Riley's grasp, but the latter drew her back to her side. Maya turned to ask Riley what was going on, but she still had that glint in her eyes. Her best friend was up to something and Maya wanted to know what it was.

"Josh, go and make yourself at home," Riley stated. She tugged on Maya's arm and guided her into the kitchen. The second they were out of earshot, she uttered, "I'm sorry I had to do that."

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Maya wondered.

Riley's lips twitched into a smile. "Josh is here," she asserted.

"Last time I checked, yes, he is here."

"I thought you said he had plans with his girlfriend's family?"

Maya pursed her lips. "I saw him at Faulkner Groceries. Apparently, the people he's supposed to be spending Thanksgiving with each had different things going on at the same time, so they're kind of everywhere right now. Josh wanted something to do for the meantime, so I shot him an invite. I figured you wouldn't mind since _you_ had the idea to invite him first."

"Oh, I don't mind at all," Riley responded with a knowing smile. "Besides, I want to see the man my best friend had been spending so much of her time with."

Maya pointed a warning finger at Riley. "A man that has a _girlfriend_ , whom he's planning to _propose_ to."

"And where is this girlfriend you speak of?"

" _Riley!_ "

Riley caved in, eyes wide. "I'm sorry! I tried to hold my tongue back—I really did—but there were just some things I needed to get out of my system. And if I don't let them out, I'll explode."

Lucas appeared in the kitchen with Josh still lingering behind him. He looked as though Lucas was his only friend at the party, thus he stuck by his side all throughout.

"Are you guys done with whatever it is the two of you are doing here?" Lucas questioned, pointing a finger back and forth between Riley and Maya. "Everybody's already seated, and they're all very hungry—Snickers commercial hungry."

"Not everybody, honey," Riley teased as she looped an arm around her husband's, leading him toward the dining area.

"Of course, because you took a bite out of everything I was cooking!"

"Somebody had to be in charge of quality control."

As soon as the married couple's lovely banter faded away, Maya gestured at Josh to follow her. Together, they made their way over to where the rest of the party was. Josh went for the chair next to Maya, but Zay beat him to it. The former ended up claiming the empty seat diagonally across from Maya, which was the one between Farkle and Riley's younger brother, Auggie.

After Riley's father, Cory, made sure that everyone had claimed a seat, he began the celebration by saying grace. Once executed, everyone helped themselves with the food.

Throughout the dinner, Maya kept sneaking glances at Josh. She was cognizant of him choosing the seat alongside her at the table, but Zay had spent all his Thanksgivings sat next to Maya that it became his habit. Josh ended up settling next to Farkle, whom he got well-acquainted with. Farkle didn't fail to make Josh feel like he'd been part of the group for years.

Often times, Maya found herself smiling every time she caught Josh grinning genuinely, the kind that made his eyes scrunch at the sides. He was engaging himself in every conversation, and he seemed captivated by whatever it was anyone asked of him. It was as though he was meant to belong within the group because of how quick he got along with everyone.

"Hey," Isadora whispered, pulling Maya out of her stupor. "Cory was asking if you could pass the roasted potatoes to him."

Maya nodded and grabbed the bowl of roasted potatoes. She passed it over to Topanga's awaiting hands, who served her still hungry husband a generous helping.

* * *

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to watch all the Thanksgiving episode of _FRIENDS_.

Maya caught Josh stepping out on the deck of Lucas and Riley's house, his phone pressed to his ear. She knew Josh needed some privacy, but she couldn't suppress the urge to check on him. Turning to Riley, who was adjusting the size of the fort to create room for Josh, Maya informed her that she'd be back.

Riley didn't get the chance to reply as Maya fled her side the second she finished her sentence.

Before she stepped out on the deck, Maya made a quick stop at the kitchen. She opened two bottles of apple ales and waited for a whole minute. Although she wanted to check on Josh, she didn't want to intervene on something that might be important.

When her one minute was up, Maya grabbed the two bottles of apple ales and headed out to the deck. She arrived at the same time Josh finished his call.

Josh turned at the sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. A smile emerged on his face at the sight of her.

Maya stood next to him and passed him a bottle. "Who was that?" she asked.

"Sophie," Josh answered, accepting the apple ale from Maya. "She called to tell me to have a happy Thanksgiving and that she's really sorry she missed this year's dinner."

"You mentioned earlier that she's still in Los Angeles."

Josh took a quick sip of his apple ale, then nodded. "Apparently, Valentina Mendez has taken quite a liking to her and invited her over to her Thanksgiving party at her penthouse. Sophie said there would be a lot of investors attending, so she grabbed the opportunity."

Maya waited for Josh to say more, thus she kept her mouth shut. She took a sip of her apple ale while she watched Josh's seemingly smiling eyes lose their shimmer. They stood alongside one another for a while, neither spoke as they gazed at the flickering lights of New York City.

"Sophie has always been hard-working," Josh piped up, breaking the two's silence. "When she sets her mind to a certain goal, she doesn't stop until she's successful—and she's _very_ good at it. It's like she _knows_ which foot to put in front first to avoid any mistakes that could hinder her success. I used to travel a lot, too, for PV. Sophie used to say that it didn't bother her, but I've been with her for so long that I can tell when she's not really okay with something. So for the sake of not ruining what I have with her, I limited my work around New York. And that definitely . . . that definitely affected my position in Filomeno's company."

Maya opened her mouth to comment but had to shut it closed when Josh continued.

"Then, the tables turned. Sophie took over the boutique and it flourished under her management. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that it did because it made Sophie happy. It was what she wanted and she got it. But she knew she could do more, so she started tailoring and designing clothes for her customers. Since then, she's always on the move, hunting for investors that would buy into her clothing line. She wants to expand her business, maybe even open shops in different cities. I did stop traveling, but now she's the one who's always gone," Josh narrated. He took his eyes off the horizon and looked at Maya. "I'm proud of Sophie—I genuinely am—but sometimes . . . sometimes I just want her to be here for me."

Maya nodded in understanding.

"But," Josh added with a loud exhale, "I also don't want to hold her back from being successful."

"Then, tell her," Maya advised. "Tell her all of what you just told me. Let her know how you feel about the situation. Look, if you are to be married to Sophie, the two of you are eventually going to become a team. You can't keep your team member in the dark, you should know that already. Talk it out with her and find a solution that works for the both of you."

Josh nodded. "You're right," he agreed.

Maya smiled and Josh returned it. He took another sip of his apple ale.

"By the way," Maya began, "you left your jacket at Topanga's."

Josh's head hung low. "Oh, god. I'm sorry about that."

"It's no big deal, really. Riley found it, though, so you're gonna have to ask her for it," Maya informed, taking a quick glance inside the house. She saw through the glass doors that everyone was busy watching the first Thanksgiving episode of _FRIENDS_.

Just when Maya was about to suggest that they better head back inside, Josh received a text message from Maria, asking him for his help.

" _Now_ she wants my help. Can you believe this woman?" Josh told Maya, sarcasm tinting his tone of voice, as he flipped his phone so that the screen faced her.

Maya read the message and immediately hustled Josh inside the house, reminding him to retrieve his jacket from Riley before he takes off. Maria needed Josh's help and who was Maya to stop him from saving the poor woman from the monster that was the Thanksgiving feast?

* * *

 **I'm not sure if I told you guys that everything that happens in my story happens for a reason. When Josh and Riley bumped into each other back in Chapter 4, I wanted that to foreshadow the moment that Josh and Maya's group of friends are gonna merge into one. They wouldn't merge immediately, but definitely, as time goes on, they'll turn into one massive group. Just wait, guys. I promise, we're getting there - slowly but surely.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and let me hear what you think!**


	10. The First Encounter

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm glad that you all liked the last chapter. It was one of the chapters where I had no trouble writing because it was just so easy to set the dynamic the characters had with each other. And I know we all wanted Josh to stay for the FRIENDS marathon, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. But, we still have more holidays to celebrate, right?**

 **Anyway, I don't really have much to say, so I'll leave you guys to it. Enjoy Chapter 10!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: The First Encounter**_

"So, Lucas told me about the brunch," Maya revealed as she and Riley traversed down a path in Central Park, their arms linked to one another for added warmth. The temperature was exceptionally freezing that day, which the two friends didn't appreciate at all.

"Yeah," Riley replied. "He scheduled for us to have brunch with our parents to tell them about our decision regarding the baby issue. Lucas and I agreed we both aren't ready to start a family yet. I mean, he's busy with his company and I have a handful of high school students to educate."

Maya nodded. "That's plausible," she commented.

Riley hummed in agreement as she stepped aside to avoid colliding with a businessman furiously speaking on his Bluetooth headset. "Besides, it's not like Lucas and I are _against_ it," she supplied. "In the future, there will definitely be a little Riley and a little Lucas wreaking havoc in the house, but we'd like to just enjoy the married life for now."

Maya patted her best friend's arm. "Aren't you glad they didn't bring up the baby talk during Thanksgiving?" she questioned with a teasing smile. "I almost pulled out one of Lucas's finest wines to celebrate."

"I know, right?" Riley agreed followed by a heavy sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I'm dumping all of this out on you. It's just that I'm so stressed about this whole baby thing. Marriage alone is no joke, Maya. Talking about having kids is a _lot_ more serious. Imagine growing a baby in your womb for nine whole months, delivering them, and then _raising_ them properly so they'd grow up into a wonderful human being!"

"Why do you think I'm still single?" Maya taunted with a laugh.

Riley tugged at Maya's arm again as she passed her best friend a knowing look. "You'll find your person someday. Trust me, I have a feeling he's just lingering around somewhere. It's just that you haven't bothered to look hard enough."

"He might not even be in New York for all we know," Maya commented.

"Anywhere that is not New York _is_ still somewhere, Maya."

Riley's phone buzzed, which stopped Maya from vocalizing her comeback. She dug inside her purse for her phone, and once she found it, she swiped a finger across the screen to answer the call. "Hello?" she greeted.

Riley stopped walking, which caused Maya to halt as well.

"Uh-huh," Riley responded to her caller. "Oh, really? Sure. I'll be there—yes, I'm with Maya. All right, I'll see you soon. I love you."

Once Riley dropped the call and stowed her phone back in her purse, Maya perked a questioning brow. "Was that Lucas?" she asked. The last sentence Riley uttered to her caller was a dead giveaway, but Maya thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for clarification.

"Yeah," Riley replied.

"What did he want?"

Riley sighed. "Brunch was rescheduled," she declared. "His parents showed up at his office unannounced, so he figured we'd deal with this baby thing now rather than wait for the supposed brunch tomorrow."

"At least now you can get it over with," Maya noted. "Remember, everything's gonna be fine. Your parents and Lucas's parents will understand, I promise."

Riley flashed her best friend a grateful smile and engulfed her in a tight embrace. "If nothing goes the way as planned, prepare some Moscato and I'll stop by tonight. If everything works out fine . . . well, I'll still come over. I could _really_ use a drink," she said.

With a laugh, Maya assured Riley that her Moscato would be ready for consumption by seven o'clock.

When the two best friends finally broke away from the embrace, Riley's gaze passed over Maya's shoulder as something captured her attention. Turning her head, Maya checked to determine what it was that her best friend saw.

As though some supernatural element had magically perched him on the park bench, Maya spotted Josh seated alone with a notebook opened on his lap. His back was hunched over as his hands scribbled across the curling page. From the way his hand moved, Maya could tell he was crossing off words on that single page.

"How's it going with him, by the way?" Riley inquired.

"Oh, you know," Maya babbled, shrugging nonchalantly.

"No, I don't."

"It's . . . I can't really tell you," Maya stated.

Riley's expression fell, looking like she identified with Josh's emotions. Sighing, she gave one last look at Josh before she turned back to her best friend. "Go to him," she instructed, nudging Maya on her side. "He looks like he could use some company."

"What about us? I thought we were hanging out?" Maya countered with a kiddish pout.

Riley giggled as she took both of Maya's cheeks in her well-manicured hands and pinched them lightly. "Aw, my best friend is so adorable," she gushed. "But I have to go face reality. I have some grandchild dreams to crush, remember?"

Maya's eyebrows rose. "That's harsh when you put it that way."

"Like you said," Riley started, "they'll understand."

Still attempting to play the disappointed best friend card, Maya nodded in agreement to their plan to part ways. "Fine," she articulated. "Go crush some dreams."

"And _you_ go to your guy," Riley teased with a grin.

"Riley," Maya warned, "that guy has a girlfriend—"

"Yes, I know. I just meant that he's your guy, like, 'Oh, you wanna get a tattoo? You can go to _my guy_ if you want,'" Riley defended, although she had a playful grin on her face.

Maya passed her best friend a look that got Riley to put her hands up in resignation.

"Okay, okay. We're done with the teasing today, I promise."

"All right, I'll see you again tonight," Maya said. "Moscato at seven, don't forget."

Riley cheek-kissed Maya while she wrapped her body in a parting embrace. After they broke away, the two best friends' concluded their afternoon together.

When Riley was no longer within her sight, Maya began making her way over to Josh. She decided to creep behind Josh to greet him with a little scare. But just as she lifted her arms to shake his shoulders, Maya stopped when she caught a glimpse of the open notebook on his lap. Her arms hung in midair, brows creased, as she examined the chaos that was his notebook. The page consisted of crossed-off words, as though Josh had been emptying the ink tube of his pen on the paper.

When Maya's guilty conscience began to eat away at her, she lowered her arms and decided that it was time to make her presence known, but not in the way that she planned.

"Hey," Maya greeted, still standing behind him.

Josh jumped from the park bench in utter surprise. When he realized that the person who spoke was Maya, he sat back down. A hand flew to his chest, feeling the heightened pulsing of his heart.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that," Maya apologized. Although she didn't go with her original plan to scare Josh, she managed to surprise him nevertheless.

Josh shook his head. "No, it's all right," he assured.

"Are you sure? You're looking paler than ever."

"No, really, you're good," Josh guaranteed as a smile emerged on his face. "I'll just have to set a reminder to get back at you for that one of these days."

Rolling her eyes, Maya gave Josh's shoulder a playful push, which caused him to laugh. "Can I keep you company?" she questioned while she gestured at the empty space on the bench.

"Go ahead," Josh answered.

Maya watched him scoot over as she took a seat, catching him in the process of hiding the exposed notebook page. The act didn't surprise her at all because she had a notion that the notebook was off-limits, although she couldn't deny that the page intrigued her.

"So," Maya began, which broke the silence between the two. "Are you, like, writing America's next greatest novel or are you journaling?"

Josh chuckled, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Neither. I'm not a novelist nor am I journaling, but I _am_ writing something . . . or at least I'm trying to."

"Is it for _People's Verse_?" Maya queried.

"Y-yeah, it is."

Josh's stuttering gave Maya the indication that he was lying. The last time she checked, he still didn't have a story to work on. She pressed on, nonetheless.

"What is it about?" Maya prodded.

"I can't tell you," Josh answered.

"Why not? It's not like I'm gonna go around New York telling everyone what _People's Verse_ is going to put out for their next issue."

"I don't want to show you because my writing sucks."

"I thought journalists are supposed to be good at writing?" Maya asked in utter disarray.

Josh stared at Maya for possibly the longest time he'd ever stared at her. His blue eyes were so intense yet gentle, which yielded Maya the perfect balance she needed to not waver under his gaze. Just when she was about to tell him to quit staring, Josh placed his arm along the bench's backrest and leaned in closer.

"There are four types of writing styles," Josh began.

Maya mentally cursed herself for bringing the subject up. The lecture that came along with it didn't thrill her.

"There's expository writing, descriptive writing, persuasive writing, and narrative writing," Josh enumerated. "I guess you could say I'm all right with three of those, but what I'm not good at is descriptive writing. It just so happens to be the category in which poetry writing falls under."

Maya lit up when she caught the last portion of Josh's sentence. "Aha!" she exclaimed. "So you _aren't_ writing an article for _People's Verse_! You're writing a poem!"

Josh ogled at Maya again, but it didn't last as long as the previous one. He leaned away, rendering to his initial position. "Sophie's back," he announced.

Maya had to make sure she heard him correctly. The change of subject was so sudden she wondered if she hallucinated Josh's announcement. "She is?" she asked.

Josh nodded with a smile. "After a week, she finally went home."

"That's great!" Maya enthused, then paused as a thought came over her. "So, does Sophie's return have something to do with you suddenly writing a poem?"

Josh glanced at his notebook as though he was contemplating whether to tell Maya of his newfound idea or not. He caved in eventually when he noted her playful pout and the pleading look in her eyes.

"I had an idea," Josh revealed, edging on his seat. "I didn't want to tell you about it until I was sure that I have something I can show you. Last night, I started writing a poem for Sophie. You know how in the movies when the guy starts reciting this big romantic speech to the girl and it totally gives away the fact that he's going to propose? Maybe if I read Sophie a poem under the guise of picking up a new hobby, she won't suspect anything! So when I actually _do_ propose, it'll _literally_ come as a surprise!"

Maya nodded. "That's actually a fantastic idea! Very sweet and thoughtful," she commented.

Josh chuckled. "It'll be sweet _when_ I actually manage to write a solid poem. Judging by the looks of it, I don't think I'm actually getting anywhere."

Maya's eyes gravitated toward his open notebook the same time Josh removed his hand to expose the page. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of crossed-off words. "Oh, wow," she spoke. "That's . . . that's . . . well, at _least_ you came up with a bunch of ideas."

"Nice try," Josh replied.

"What in the world were you even trying to write?"

Josh lifted a hand to scratch the itching skin on his forehead. "Uh . . . you see, that's the thing," he declared.

Maya didn't say a word. She continued looking at Josh's poor and destroyed sheet of notebook paper. The longer she stared at it, the more she could pick out some of the words he penned down. They weren't that terrible, but his flow didn't sound right. Some of his lines didn't make sense if paired with the previous stanza or the following one. Furthermore, Josh's word choices were inadequate, incorrectly used, and—

That's when Maya got it. She figured it might be a bit of a risky and 'too forward' idea, but she thought it could be worth the try.

"Maybe I can help you," Maya suggested, catching Josh off guard. When she noted his hesitance, she added, "I'm not a professional writer, but I just thought that if you have somebody you can bounce ideas off of, and someone who can proofread your work, perhaps you'll get a better chance at getting this poem done before your anniversary."

Josh pondered over Maya's proposition. To him, although they'd exchanged stories, Maya was nonetheless a stranger to him. He didn't know a great deal about Maya other than that she's a struggling artist and that she's the substitute head event coordinator at Tan House Events. Letting someone into his deepest thoughts was intimidating, knowing for a fact that doing so could either lead toward a good outcome or the opposite. If Josh accepted Maya's offer, not only was he allowing her to get to know Sophie and how their relationship worked, but he was also giving her full access into his own emotions. Josh had to tell Maya what it was that he felt for Sophie and allowing her to know Sophie the way he did.

In the end, Josh came to a decision. He already trusted Maya—he implied it the second he asked her to help him with his marriage proposal plan—and for every moment he spent with her, Josh felt nothing but comfort.

"All right," Josh vocalized, sighing.

"All right?" Maya asked. "All right as in 'all right, I've made a decision and it's a no' or all right as in 'all right, you're in'?"

Josh flashed her a smile. "All right as in 'all right, you're in.'"

"Yes!" Maya proclaimed, jumping up from her seat and raising her arms in victory. She immediately sat back down, cleared her throat, and stuck her hand out for Josh to shake. "I mean, you've made a wise decision, Mr. Matthews. You won't regret going into business with me."

"It won't be the first time I'm doing this," Josh uttered as he enclosed his own hand around Maya's and shook it, officially sealing the (second) business deal they made.

"So, when can we start?" Maya interrogated enthusiastically, agog to get their business started.

Josh chewed his lip in thought. "I have to get back to PV in a while, so tomorrow maybe? When are you free?" he queried.

"Let's see," Maya replied. "It's Friday today, right? I don't have meetings with Leigh on Saturdays, so I normally spend all day in my art studio, but I guess seeing your face again tomorrow couldn't hurt."

Josh laughed. "It's settled, then. I'll see you tomorrow at Topanga's at around . . . most probably around lunchtime."

"Gotcha." Maya clicked her tongue as she hopped onto her feet. "I better get moving. There's some sort of magnet that, for some strange reason, is trying to pull me toward Topanga's. That place is, like, my second home now. If I'm not at my apartment or my studio, you know where to find me."

"Oh," Josh said as he got up to his feet as well. "Would you mind if I come with? I'm kind of in need of something hot to drink."

"Good taste in business partners and good taste in coffee," Maya remarked. "I plan to keep you around for a long time, Mr. Matthews."

Josh laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in delight. "I have a strong feeling in my gut that you will."

* * *

The pair walked toward Topanga's, holding small talks about their jobs. Josh asked Maya about her job as Leigh's Creative Art Director, while she interrogated him on the story he's going to write for _People's Verse_ 's tenth-anniversary special issue. As the two continued to navigate their way toward the coffee shop, Josh and Maya's conversation chipped away until they fell in silence.

"What are you thinking?" Josh asked by the time they turned the corner that led to Topanga's.

Maya averted her gaze from the street ahead of her and looked at Josh. "Nothing," she answered.

"You don't look like you've been thinking about nothing," Josh rebutted.

Maya bit her lip. "Believe or not, I'm brainstorming for your poem. I might have offered to help you write it, but that doesn't mean I have a ton of ideas to dump on you. I actually want to be helpful. That _is_ my job as your event coordinator, after all," she admitted.

A cold breeze flew by and Maya shivered in her jacket, which Josh didn't fail to notice. "You should've worn something warmer," he commented as his eyes took in her thin parka.

Maya shivered again. "I know, but I relied too much on my human heater, which is Riley," she clarified. "We were hanging out a while ago and she clung onto me the entire time we were walking around the park."

Josh laughed, but the sound of it died when his eyes landed on a particular boutique. He ceased in his tracks, stretching his left arm horizontally in an endeavor to stop Maya from advancing further.

Maya's chest hit his arm lightly, causing her to stumble for a moment. When she regained her footing, she followed Josh's eyes and it directed her to an olive-skinned woman manning the register inside Miller Boutique. The woman's smile was wide and convivial as she assisted a client in need.

"Is that . . . Sophie?" Maya questioned. She recalled Josh telling her that Sophie owned a boutique, hence it didn't take her long to put the puzzle pieces together.

"That's her," Josh confirmed.

"Are you gonna come in and say hi?"

Josh pursed his lips as he shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the boutique to meet Maya's. "No," he responded.

"Why not?" Maya asked, her brows creased.

"I'm with you," Josh answered.

"What?"

Josh sighed. "I don't want Sophie to know about you—at least not _yet_. If Sophie sees us together, then she's obviously going to ask who you are, then I'll have to explain our association to one another, and I can't risk Sophie knowing about my plan to propose," he elaborated.

Sophie strode over to the massive display window of the boutique and fixed the crooked skirt of a mannequin. Josh grabbed Maya's wrist and they scrambled further away from view.

"Well . . . I'm gonna go in," Maya declared as she set off toward the boutique.

"Wait—Maya," Josh called, gripping her wrist to stop her. "What are you doing?"

"I want to meet Sophie. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I told you, I don't want Sophie to know about you yet—"

"Josh, I'm not gonna go in and reveal your plan to propose to her," Maya stated. "I just want to meet Sophie so I could see how she is like from my _own_ point of view. Trust me, she won't speculate on anything about us working together. She'll only see me as a new customer."

With that, Josh let go of Maya's wrist and she made her way inside the boutique. The bell above the door jangled and Sophie turned to acknowledge the newcomer's arrival. Already, she had a warm and welcoming smile plastered on her face.

"Hello," Sophie greeted. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh, I'm just looking around," Maya responded.

"Okay, let me know if you need anything. I'll be at the register."

Maya nodded in agreement before she watched Sophie return behind the register. Walking around, Maya pretended to examine every clothing item the boutique sells, grabbing ahold of the fabrics to feel their textures. She even made a show of grabbing a blouse and holding it against her chest, as though she was testing how the item looked on her.

Maya glimpsed out the window and saw Josh crouching in the corner, slightly hidden from view. The three mannequins and the army of knee-high boots displayed by the windows were enough to keep him concealed. When Josh noticed her staring, he gestured at her to get out.

Ignoring Josh, Maya brought her attention back inside the boutique and trudged over to Sophie. She planted both of her hands on the countertop, catching Sophie's attention.

"Actually, I do think I need your help," Maya informed, feigning desperation.

"All right, what do you need help with?" Sophie interrogated, the sweet smile she greeted Maya with a while ago was still plastered on.

"How much does it cost to get a dress tailored?" Maya inquired. She was sure a poster sign somewhere in the shop could easily tell her that information, but it was the first question that came to her mind. Plus, it was the best that Maya could muster given her current situation.

"It all depends on the dress that you want, really. We'll have to factor in the length, the material . . ."

Maya disregarded Sophie the moment she started her speech concerning the adjustable price of a tailored dress. Her goal was to see Sophie in person, so she could get a personal grasp of how she was as an individual.

As Sophie's tainted lips moved in a gentle manner, Maya took note of everything Josh saw in the woman. She was gorgeous, it was hard to deny that. Her olive complexion complemented the darkness of her hair, which glinted every time a source of light bounced off it.

Sophie was soft-spoken, yet she maintained a strong rectitude that made her so dashing and so appealing to her audience. Her overall poised demeanor contributed greatly to Josh's idea of her being an actual princess. She was eloquent, classy, and compelling—characteristics that Maya deemed matched Josh's personality very well.

And to think Maya got all that down by watching Sophie talk about how much she charges for a tailored dress. It was either she was skillful when it came to understanding people or she was one assuming individual that believed everything she thought was correct. Whichever it was, Maya knew she'd established a respectable platform for Sophie that she could work with for Josh's poem.

"So? Which one are you gonna go for?" Sophie inquired, pulling Maya from her thoughts.

"Oh, um . . ." Maya trailed off. "I was actually just asking for a friend. She's stuck in a meeting right now, so she asked me to do it for her—like a favor."

Sophie nodded. "I see."

"But, I'll keep those prices in mind and I'll make sure she gets her dress tailored by you," Maya said as she threw Sophie a knowing wink. "I've seen your designs and I'm confident that it's something that my best friend would actually wear."

Sophie smiled and told Maya that she's already looking forward to assisting her best friend.

And so, with a goodbye, Maya exited the boutique. She spotted Josh still crouching in the corner and made her way over to him.

"Didn't you see me gesturing at you to get out of there?" Josh stated as he let Maya haul him up to his feet.

"I couldn't find any reason as to why I should leave, so I didn't," Maya retaliated.

Josh sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What did you even say to her?"

"I told her that your fly is open," Maya taunted. She snorted when Josh fell for it, looking down at his khakis to check if his zipper was actually down. It wasn't, which earned Maya a glare from Josh.

"Maya," Josh grunted. "I'm serious, what did you really say to Sophie?"

"Nothing," Maya responded, putting her hands up in mock surrender. "And I can tell that you don't believe me, but I really didn't say anything, Josh. I just thought that if I'm going to help you write a poem about her, I might as well take an honest look at the woman we're going to be writing about, right?"

"But I saw you say something to her," Josh prodded. "If you said you didn't say anything, then what were you doing then? Were you singing to her? What?"

Maya exhaled exasperatingly. "I just asked her how much she's charging for a tailored dress, that's it! Now stop worrying your heebie-jeebies off before you get another line of wrinkle on your forehead."

One of Josh's hand flew up to his forehead. "Did I really get another wrinkle?" he wondered.

Maya laughed. "No, you didn't," she reassured him while rubbing his back. "Okay, now that we know you didn't get another wrinkle line on your forehead, do you wanna grab that cup of coffee with me or not?"

"Of course, I do," Josh responded, shivering.

"Good, because if I don't get that scalding coffee in my system anytime soon, I'm literally gonna turn into a life-sized ice sculpture in the middle of the street."

* * *

 **And now Sophie comes in to play. Hmmm . . .**

 **So, normally, I like to keep secrets. But because of how excited I am for the plot to unravel, I'm gonna let you in on a little something-something: Josh's idea to write a poem for Sophie for their anniversary/his marriage proposal sets the stage for the REST OF THE PLOT *wink wink***

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, I wanna know what you think!**


	11. Labels

**A/N: Okay, I know I said I didn't have any more short chapters for you, but I lied. This one's shorter than my usual chapters, but I promise you Chapter 12 is a HUGE chapter. And I'm excited for you to read it, that's why I'm giving you Chapter 11 so we could get a move on with our story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11: Labels**_

Maya was erasing a line from her sketch when she saw Josh barreling in through Topanga's' entrance doors. He immediately spotted her table in the corner and made his way to her.

"I will never be on time for anything and expecting that out of me will only bring disappointment," Josh announced the second he sat down across from Maya.

Maya closed her sketchpad, a smile on her face. "You're forgiven," she uttered.

Josh's eyebrows shot up. "Well, look who woke up on the right side of the bed this morning," he teased.

Maya, still with that goofy smile on her face, stood up from her seat and informed Josh that she'd be back. She strode over to the counter, where Auggie was manning the register.

"Hey, Maya, you here for the bag?" Auggie questioned as he left the register to retrieve a brown Topanga's bag placed atop the back counter. After, he filled two to-go cups, one with cappuccino and one with regular black coffee. He handed the cups in a carrier along with the brown Topanga's bag to Maya, who already paid earlier.

Maya double-checked the contents of the bag and nodded when she saw the box of cronuts and a couple of wrapped sandwiches. With a quick thank you to Auggie, Maya trudged back to Josh.

"You ready?" Maya queried.

Josh nodded, his eyes landing on the brown Topanga's bag and the cup carrier Maya had in her hands. An amused expression took over his features. "Maya, you do know we're having a meeting not a picnic, right?" he taunted.

Maya grinned. "I know that," she replied, "but I also know you. Sooner or later, you're bound to announce that you're hungry, so I thought I'd go to war prepared."

"So, I'm guessing that means we're not working here?" Josh asked.

"I figured perhaps a change in scenery might help," Maya answered, shrugging. "I heard it could boost your creativity, which you could _really_ use if you want to make progress on that poem."

"Where are we gonna go?"

"I don't know. Where do you normally go with Sophie?"

"Well, she enjoys walking around Central Park . . ."

"But, we were there yesterday and you were clearly uninspired," Maya commented.

"Yes, but maybe today I won't."

A smile crept up Maya's lips. "Let's get going, then. We don't want to waste precious time, don't we?" she stated as she exited the coffee shop with Josh trailing after her.

* * *

"Maya, you're going to kill the nerves in your hands!" Josh scolded as Maya attempted to create a snowman with her bare hands.

"I'll be fine." Maya waved him off, reaching down to scoop another handful of snow to slap on her snowman. So far, she'd managed to make the smallest ball of snow for the base layer.

From the corner of her eye, Maya noticed that Josh was getting up from the park bench. He marched to her side.

"Here," Josh pronounced while he presented her with his pair of winter gloves. "I'm not wearing them anyway since I'm supposed to be writing down ideas—and I'm still not done eating."

Maya knew she mentioned that her hands were fine, but truth be told, she couldn't feel them any longer. But she wouldn't give Josh the satisfaction of being right, thus she pretended she was hesitant while she retrieved the gloves from him.

"So," Maya began, "have you got any ideas yet?"

Josh sank back on the park bench, picking up the notebook he left open alongside him. "No," he answered.

Maya scrunched her face in thought. "How about we start from the very beginning?" she suggested, slapping yet another fistful of snow on her snowman's base layer.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, when you first met Sophie or even when you first _saw_ her—that is only if the first time you saw Sophie wasn't the first time you met her. Maybe you can write about how you felt during those moments. That could be a good starting point," Maya elaborated.

A smile crept up Josh's lips as the happy memory found its way back to him.

"How did the two of you meet anyway? You never told me that story before," Maya remarked.

"Believe it or not, we actually met right there on that exact spot," Josh revealed, pointing his finger at the spot where Maya stood.

Maya hopped away from where she stood, as though Josh told her she was stepping on hot lava and she needed to clamber over to the nearest higher ground immediately. She diverted her gaze from the snow-covered patch she left and took a look at Josh, unsure whether he was messing with her. His features showed nothing but truthfulness.

"Right here?" Maya inquired.

Josh nodded. "I first saw Sophie when I was only a freshman in college. It was Christmas when it happened. Back then, I'm not sure if you remember, Central Park used to have this annual public wishlist thing—"

"I remember that!" Maya exclaimed. "That's the one where you bring your own ornament with your wish written on it, and then you hang it on the giant Christmas tree, right? Then, a bunch of selected people gets to have their wishes come true. That was a lot of fun. I wonder why they stopped doing it."

Josh shrugged in response to Maya's statement.

"Anyway," Josh continued. "I hated going there because of the crowd. But that year, I didn't have any choice. The entire Matthews clan was in town for the holidays, and since some of them were new to New York, my dad didn't hesitate to bring them to the event. We were in the midst of taking a family picture when I happened to gaze a little bit to my left and there was Sophie. I thought—and I'm being serious here—that she was an angel.

"It was because she was wearing this white winter coat that stopped at her calves, her dark hair cascading down her back in waves. Her eyes looked lazy and bored, but her wonderful smile and adorable cheekbones were the ones that struck me the most. I watched as she stood behind whom I could only assume back then was her mother, observing her own family take their places for the picture."

"And she was standing exactly on that spot?" Maya asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time. She just couldn't grasp the idea of being precisely where Josh and Sophie first met.

Josh smiled and nodded. "Exactly," he answered, pointing at the spot Maya vacated earlier. He then gestured at the space in front of him and added, "And I was here."

"Wow," Maya muttered to herself, riveted by her discovery. She'd worked with a lot of clients before for Tan House Events, but she'd never felt so invested in their story like she was with Josh and Sophie's. Maya abandoned her poor attempt at constructing a snowman and trudged over to Josh, claiming the unoccupied spot on the bench next to the brown Topanga's bag. "Tell me more," she prompted.

Josh grinned at Maya's ever-growing fascination.

"After we took our family picture, I noticed that Sophie wasn't there anymore," Josh narrated. "It wasn't long before I found myself constantly looking for her. I carried on like that until my family and I lined up to hang our ornaments on the tree. When it was my turn . . . Oh, dear God, I couldn't begin to explain how happy I felt when I discovered it was Sophie's turn, too. There were multiple lines around the tree, and I found it so unreal that Sophie ended up next to me. How I didn't notice her before, I didn't know. She was pissed when she came up to the tree because her cousin was nagging her about accompanying her to this Christmas party that this one college jock invited her to. Sophie wasn't having any of it, so she hung her ornament on the tree and fled.

"I didn't see her again after that. I honestly thought it was the last time I'd ever see her, but time proved me wrong. Before I forget—and this is a crucial part of the story—my family has this weird Christmas tradition in which we designate one family member to come up with a theme for the year. It doesn't matter what the theme is, as long as there is one. My cousin was the one assigned that year and, let me tell you, he chose to have us wear the _ugliest_ Christmas sweater he could find."

Maya's grin transitioned to hysterics. "And what did he get for you?" she queried the second her laughter died down.

"You would _not_ believe," Josh replied exasperatingly. "My cousin bought me the most horrendous Christmas sweater I had _ever_ seen in my entire life. And when I say the most horrendous, I'm talking bright green with red sleeves knit sweater with a gigantic reindeer design and blinking lights outlining the poor reindeer's head!"

"Oh, my God!" Maya exclaimed, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Tell me you're joking. That sweater couldn't possibly exist!"

"But it does," Josh countered, laughing. "I've seen it—I've worn it."

"Wait. Don't tell me you were wearing _that_ when you met Sophie?"

The knowing look Josh sent her way was enough to sustain Maya's supposition. "No," she whispered, horrified.

"Oh, yes. I was wearing the sweater," Josh confirmed. "But, that wasn't all. Just when my family and I were about to leave, I saw Sophie again. Thankfully, I managed to gain enough courage to introduce myself to her. I told my family that my best friend at that time asked me to meet up with him. My family left me there and I went to talk to Sophie. As I was making my way to her, I noticed something more ridiculous than the reindeer sweater I had on."

"What was Sophie wearing?" Maya demanded. She didn't know when it occurred, but she found herself sitting very close to Josh. She had scooted so close that their knees were bumping against each other. The brown Topanga's bag became the one occupying the space she sat on earlier.

Josh guffawed. "Sophie had deer antlers on her shoes, Maya! It was ridiculous! I called her out for it, but she mocked my reindeer sweater. She said she could recognize me within a hundred-mile radius."

At that point, Maya was a laughing mess. Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy. "Oh, you two are so hilarious," she commented, lifting a hand to wipe away her tears. "I wish I was there to witness everything, especially the reindeer sweater and the antler shoes."

"Sophie had a boyfriend back then, but she agreed to get coffee with me that night—as new friends—and the number of stares that were sent our way was insane," Josh added, sighing at the memory.

After both their laughter died down, Maya nudged Josh on his side. "That could be a little something you could write about," she noted. "Remind her of the first time the two of you met. Talk about how ridiculous your reindeer sweater and her antler shoes were. If it managed to make you happy just by revisiting that night, I'm sure it holds the same power on Sophie, too."

Josh flashed her a smile. Without mentioning a single word, he turned to his notebook and scribbled something down. Maya couldn't help but smile when she saw what he wrote.

"Light in the Dark," Maya read.

"That's the title of the poem," Josh explained. "When I first saw her, I thought she was an angel. And angels are supposed to be there to provide light in times of darkness—"

"It's perfect."

* * *

At some point, Josh and Maya grew too cold from sitting on the bench and agreed to walk around the park to get their blood pumping again.

The two continued discussing Josh's relationship with Sophie. It turned out, Sophie had a boyfriend when they first met, which Josh respected. After a year, Sophie's relationship ended and Josh became the friend she'd always turn to for comfort. They were friends for two years before Sophie began seeing Josh in a new light, and the two decided to enter a relationship.

"Are you really set on having that title?" Maya interrogated as she and Josh crossed a bridge. She took a speedy look at Josh while he walked alongside her, and she caught him rubbing his palms together to keep them warm. Maya removed the pair of gloves he lent her a while ago.

"Here," Maya told Josh, handing over the gloves. "I have a feeling you need this more than I do."

Josh shook his head. "No, put them back on. I can handle the cold."

Rolling her eyes at him, Maya grabbed both of Josh's freezing hands and slipped the winter gloves on. She gave him a look that signaled him that any protesting he planned to cast her way wouldn't be tolerated.

"We can take turns if that'll help you sleep at night," Maya uttered.

"Thanks," Josh stated. "And yes, I do plan on sticking with that title . . . at least for now. I mean, it's the one that makes the most sense to me at the moment."

"What about the poem itself?" Maya prodded. "What's it gonna be about?"

"I'm still thinking about it, to be honest."

"Okay, let's try this," Maya started, taking her bare hands out of her coat's pockets. "Tell me the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of Sophie. It doesn't matter how nonsensical it sounds, just hit me with something. Go."

"Home."

It was as pure and simple as that. Josh didn't hesitate. His gaze didn't weaken, his breath didn't hitch, and his voice didn't falter.

"Good. Now, explain to me why 'home' is the first word you thought of," Maya challenged. She already possessed a clue as to what he meant by that, but she wanted to hear the explanation coming from his own lips.

"Sophie is home to me," Josh began. "Back when I still traveled for _People's Verse_ , I always found myself looking forward to coming home to her. When she's away on a business trip, I can't wait for her to get back home to me. We've known each other for seven whole years and she'd been with me throughout, even back when we still saw one another as friends, especially now that we're close to celebrating our sixth year together as a couple."

Maya pursed her lips. She stopped walking when Josh leaned on the railing of the bridge, planting his hands on its stone structure to keep his body steady. Maya parked herself next to him, replacing her hands in her coat's pockets.

"There you go, that's your poem right there," Maya remarked with a soft smile. "Exaggerate it if you will."

Josh raised a questioning brow at her. "Exaggerate?" he interrogated.

"Well, yeah," Maya drawled. "Exaggeration can lead to a good thing."

Josh gawked at Maya extensively, but it didn't cause any effect on her any longer. Maya already came to the realization that it was one of Josh's quirks she had to get used to.

"What do you say?" Maya asked, poking his arm.

"You have no idea how happy I am that I got you involved in this," Josh ventured. He leaned away from the railing and the two of them resumed their walk.

Maya flashed him the biggest smile she'd ever given him circa the day they started working together. "I did promise you that you won't regret your decision," she reminded. "When I say business, I really do mean business."

Josh nudged her. "I think we're way past that, don't you think?" he admitted.

"What do you mean?" Maya queried, her eyebrows creasing together.

"Oh, come on. Don't pretend you haven't noticed," Josh replied with a taunting smirk.

"Notice what?"

"How easily we get along with each other, even from the very first moment we met," Josh explained, his voice dropping low. "I've long stopped seeing you as an event coordinator helping me plan a marriage proposal, Maya. This thing we have" —Josh gestured between him and Maya— "I see this as a good friend helping out a good friend in need."

Maya beamed. "All right, let's make it official then," she said as she stuck out a hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," Josh agreed. He accepted her outstretched hand and shook it.

When they unclasped their hands, Josh gazed at Maya with a playful look in his eyes.

"What?" Maya asked.

"You were right, I am hungry," Josh replied, scrunching his face at her.

Maya chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him. She lifted the brown Topanga's bag filled with goodies, flashed Josh a grin, and said, "It's a good thing I thought ahead, right?"

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter : 18 by One Direction.**_

 **Now that Joshaya can start referring to/treat each other like friends, I wanna know what you think ;)**

 **Thanks for reading! Chapter 12 should be up tomorrow.**


	12. Under the Lights

**A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for the last chapter's love. I love that, despite the fact that Josh isn't with Maya, you all still liked his relationship with Sophie. I might've broken your hearts, but PLEASE _PLEASE_ JUST TRUST ME ON THIS ONE (I'm begging you). And also, I liked that you guys noticed that Josh/Maya is sort of following Josh/Sophie and that history's repeating itself. But, there is one BIG, MAJOR difference between the two. It's actually one of the main plots of this story. It's coming soon, I promise.**

 **Anyway, let's give our Joshaya a little break from working and let them have some fun, eh? This chapter's probably my second most favorite out of all the 22 I've written so far. And I'm REALLY REALLY excited for all you to read this, especially those Jandrew shippers. I hope you guys love this as much as I do. Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 12: Under the Lights_**

Josh and Andrew were ready to leave work when Filomeno beckoned the former to his office. Shortly, the editor-in-chief fled out of sight and the two best friends turned to look at one another, both had perturbed expressions on their faces.

"Do you have a story to present to him?" Andrew queried.

"I'll make something up," Josh answered with a sigh. "As long as I don't have a story _inspiring_ enough for him, he's just gonna turn down anything I propose."

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, well, you should probably go in their now. You know Filomeno doesn't like to wait," he uttered, the same time Filomeno reappeared in the hallway.

"Matthews," Filomeno called.

When the editor-in-chief retreated back in his office, Andrew jutted his chin in the direction where Filomeno disappeared. "I'll meet you down in the lobby," he informed as he clamped a hand on Josh's shoulder.

Josh nodded before he made his way to his editor-in-chief's office. He knocked three times, and at the sound of Filomeno acknowledging his arrival, Josh stepped in. The first thing he caught was the sight of Filomeno pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"I'm assuming you called me in to check on my progress?" Josh stated as he stayed stood by the door, unsure whether he should advance further in Filomeno's office.

Filomeno swallowed his drink and regarded Josh. "Of course, I did," he confirmed. "After that tragic love story you wheeled in my office a couple of weeks ago, I figured it'd be best if I keep tabs on you. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's . . . understandable," Josh agreed.

Filomeno ambled toward his desk and leaned on its edge. "Well?" he prodded, raising a brow.

Josh cleared his throat and said, "I had a story—"

" _Had_?"

"Yes—and it was a good one, too," Josh answered. "Unfortunately, when I asked the man for permission to write about him for _People's Verse_ , he declined. The story was too valuable for him. He might have been kind enough to share the story with me, but he didn't want to share it with the entire world."

Filomeno was tight-lipped for a moment. He drank his whiskey while he pondered over what Josh said. As much as it vexed him that he still hadn't secured a feature story for the magazine's tenth anniversary special issue, Filomeno let it slide for the first time. Josh _did_ have something—albeit he wasn't given the permission to pursue the subject—therefore he resolved not to put his Plan B into action yet, which was to assign a backup journalist for the feature story.

"In that case, you should keep looking," Filomeno declared, leaning away from his desk. "Remember: five months may seem like a lot of time, Matthews, but it dwindles _fast_."

Josh jounced his head. "Of course, Mr. Filomeno. I can guarantee you that I'm constantly on the look-out for only the _best_ stories. You gave me a second chance to prove myself, and I will make sure that you'll never regret ever making that decision."

With one final glance at his journalist, Filomeno dismissed Josh.

Josh exited Filomeno's office and headed toward the elevators. He rode down to the lobby, where he found Andrew seated on a lobby sofa, furiously tapping on his phone. As Josh approached his best friend, he heard Andrew curse his phone before he turned off the device and pocketed it.

"What? Did you lose again?" Josh taunted, referring to the game that Andrew was playing.

"Hey, you're alive!" Andrew exclaimed, jumping up to his feet. "And yes, I did. I waited _two hours_ to gain a new life only for my character to lose to that badass, laser-shooting spaceship. If I had known that my character would suck that bad, I would have switched to the dark side the first chance I get."

Josh snickered. "But you can't do that, can you?" he asked.

"No. I'm stuck defending my planet when I'd rather be destroying it."

Just as Andrew uttered his reply, one of _People's Verse_ 's employees trotted past them, wearing a concerned expression on her face.

"Don't worry, we're not actually plotting a secret plan to dominate the entire planet," Andrew reassured with a nervous chuckle. "We were just talking about a game . . . which you obviously don't care about—okay, nice talking to you!"

Josh hit Andrew's shoulder. "Come on, let's get our Grab-A-Burger on," he stated as he began walking toward the office building's revolving doors.

"About that," Andrew replied, jogging a little to catch up to Josh.

The two best friends exited the _People's Verse_ building and joined the crowd of New Yorkers.

"What?" Josh asked.

"I was thinking maybe we should reconsider our plan."

Josh's eyebrows rose. "Are you telling me that Grab-A-Burger had lost its magical touch?" he taunted, chuckling afterward.

"Trust me, Grab-A-Burger will _never_ lose its special place in my heart," Andrew reassured, placing a hand over his chest. "However, that's not my point. Grab-A-Burger might have the immense power to cheer me up every time I'm feeling down, but can I say the same about you? No. What you need, my friend, is something else. Something that would release all the pressure that's been keeping your head underwater."

"Are you taking me to go skydiving—because, you know, that's opposite of being underwater," Josh queried, eyebrows creasing together.

Andrew guffawed. "No, but being on land is _also_ the opposite of being underwater. And you know what some people do when they're on land? They go clubbing!"

Josh stopped in his tracks. "Hold on—we're going clubbing? Andrew, it's Wednesday!"

"That makes it even better!" Andrew exclaimed, flagging a taxi and ushering Josh inside. He climbed in after his friend and the second the passenger door closed behind him, Andrew turned to the driver and said, "Club Sinners, please. Thank you."

* * *

Maya took a big gulp of her tea as her client, Leigh, continued commenting on her first design for the benefit concert's poster. The latter was highly meticulous with details because she wanted the poster to set the tone for the event. She wanted it to look striking yet inviting enough to appeal to all ages.

"The background is too grungy for me," Leigh commented while her eyes continued to scrutinize Maya's design. "I get that you're trying to portray the usual scene, like the dark indoor venue, but this concert will be for children that are victims of violence. To me, the darkness sort of correlates with violence and that's not what I'm really trying to convey."

Maya nodded along. "Yeah, I can see your point," she agreed.

"But I do like the rest of it," Leigh ensured with a quick pat on Maya's arm. "I like that you made the children the main subject of the poster."

"Okay, so the background is the only thing that needs to be changed?" Maya questioned for clarification. She flipped open her notepad and uncapped her pen, making a note on the changes she needed to make regarding the poster's design.

Leigh jounced her head. "Yes, just remember that the concert is meant to be a happy place—a safe place. If you can find a way to translate that message into this poster, that would be remarkable," she stated with a smile. "I know you can do it."

Maya returned Leigh's grin. "Trust me, I won't let you down," she reassured as she retrieved her sketchpad from Leigh's hands. "You mentioned earlier that you won't be available to meet personally for the rest of the week, so do you want me to just email you the altered design?"

"Yes," Leigh answered. "Yes, that would be great."

"All right, expect to see it in your inbox sometime tomorrow," Maya informed.

Leigh and Maya concluded their meeting. Maya stuck out a hand for Leigh to shake, but the latter went for a hug instead. She was grateful for Maya's help. Without her artistic talents, Leigh would've settled for the demanding artist she was in contact with before she saw Maya's profile on Canvas.

After saying their goodbyes to one another, Maya fled Leigh's office. She'd only managed to walk midway down the hall when Leigh called her back. The latter strode toward Maya, meeting her halfway.

"Sorry about that," Leigh apologized.

"Oh, no, you're fine," Maya replied.

"I meant to tell you this earlier, but I guess it slipped my mind," Leigh began. "I was looking for some possible bands last night—locals and well-known alike—that I could include in the lineup for the concert when an idea hit me. I'm saving one spot in the lineup for whichever band you'd like to see play at the concert."

Maya's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Are you serious?" she queried.

Leigh nodded, a broad smile on her face.

"Do I have to choose _now_?" Maya asked. "Because I have so many I want to see, I can't possibly just choose one on the spot."

"No," Leigh answered, laughing. "You can take your time choosing your band, but don't take up _too_ much time. I still do have to contact the band and make sure they're available for the concert, and the managers can take days—even weeks—to respond, especially if the band is popular."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Maya replied. "Thanks again for letting me do that."

"Of course, I want you to be a part of this event as much as possible," Leigh uttered.

After saying their goodbyes for the second time that night, Maya left Leigh's office building.

Zay was leaning against the passenger door of his SUV when Maya emerged from the building. He looked up from his phone upon hearing the sound of her heels clicking against the concrete ground and flashed her a smile.

"How was the meeting?" Zay questioned, opening the passenger door for Maya, who muttered a 'thank you' as she hopped in.

"It was great," Maya responded. She waited until Zay was seated in the driver's seat before she continued. "Leigh noted some alterations I needed to make regarding my design, but she liked it nevertheless. Oh, and she also said that she's letting me choose a band that I want to be included in the lineup. How cool is that?"

"Please tell me you said you wanted the Backstreet Boys," Zay said as he pulled out of the curb. "They've been our favorite boy band since we were, like, seven!"

"You see, I _thought_ about suggesting the Backstreet Boys, but then Leigh might have a hard time booking them because they've got all those holiday shows coming up," Maya answered. Then, in a whisper, she added, "I still can't believe they're all sold out."

Zay reached a red light. He slowed to a stop before he turned to Maya. "So, what happened? You didn't suggest a band?" he queried.

Maya shook her head. "But she gave me time to think about which band I'd choose," she stated.

The light turned green and Zay stepped on the gas, the same time Maya's phone buzzed inside her bag. She brought it out to see a message from Riley.

 _ **Riley**_ — _Hey, are you doing tonight?_

 _ **Maya**_ — _Zay just picked me up from my meeting with Leigh, but we don't have any plans that I know of. Why?_

 _ **Riley**_ — _Lucas's company is thinking of buying this old nightclub and he's gonna check it out tonight. Of course, I asked if I could tag along. Do you wanna come?_

Maya turned to Zay. "Hey, Riley's asking if we want to go to a nightclub with her and Lucas. Apparently, Lucas's company is thinking about buying the place, so they decided to do a little fieldwork," she informed, her fingers hovering above her keyboard, ready to type out a reply.

"Clubbing on a Wednesday?" Zay asked incredulously.

Maya shrugged. "I mean, it's for business purposes," she defended.

"Sure. Why not?"

 _ **Maya**_ — _Of course! Zay and I will be there._

Riley replied with the nightclub's name, followed by a sentence saying how excited she was to have a little bit of fun that night. Ever since she became a teacher, Riley couldn't remember the last time she went out for some drinks with her friends.

"Let's take a detour at my apartment first," Maya suggested. "If we're gonna go clubbing tonight, I want to look like I'm about to have the most amazing night of my life."

* * *

Holding two glasses of Old Fashioned, Andrew maneuvered his way through the packed crowd of clubbers. His face contorted into one of panic when a delirious dancing redhead nearly toppled the drinks he held in his hands.

"I have survived!" Andrew announced the moment he arrived at his and Josh's booth.

"For a moment there, I thought you've reached your end," Josh replied, jerking his chin in the direction of the dance floor.

Andrew shook his head in disbelief. "I thought so, too. Man, did you see that redhead? She must've pre-gamed with a whole pack of Red Bull or something," he commented before he took a sip of his drink.

Josh laughed as he raised his glass to his lips. After he'd set his glass down on the table, he turned to face his best friend. "Hey, thanks for bringing me here. You were right, I do feel a little de-stressed," he stated with a blithe grin.

" _Just_ a little?" Andrew asked incredulously. He was about to say more when his eyes landed on a certain blonde making an entrance. Jutting his head toward the doors of the nightclub, he said, "Well, well, well. It looks like this night's gonna get much better. Frosty's here—oh, and with an entourage!"

Josh whirled, immediately spotting Maya amongst the crowd. She had on a tight-fitting cobalt blue dress with a plunging neckline, which had Josh looking her up and down. The wardrobe change was a new sight for him after he'd gotten used to what she dubbed as her 'high school principal' look.

"I'm gonna call them over," Andrew informed. "That should liven up this table."

Josh paused, seemingly processing Andrew's words. "You do realize you called me boring," he noted.

"I didn't say that," Andrew defended as he held up a finger.

"You implied it—"

"Shush your mouth, my friend."

Josh laughed before he took another sip of his Old Fashioned. He gave another glance at Maya over his shoulder, and this time, he observed that Zay, Lucas, and Riley were with her.

"Frosty! Over here!" Andrew exclaimed, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Maya's head whipped in the direction of Andrew's voice. Her face lit up when she eyed Andrew waving them over to his booth.

"Oh, look, friends!" Riley squealed with excitement. "This night's gonna be so much fun!"

Lucas and Zay smiled as well upon recognizing two familiar faces in the crowd. They trailed after Maya and Riley, who steered themselves toward Josh and Andrew's booth.

"Hey! What are you two doing here on a Wednesday?" Maya asked. She saw Andrew with his arms wide open and she leaned into him for a hug. "I mean, I could ask myself the same thing, but Lucas's here because of business and Riley and I just tagged along."

"Josh and I needed to relieve some stress," Andrew explained. "We could get in trouble for going to work hungover tomorrow, but some of our colleagues had done it before and they almost always got away with it."

Zay nodded. "That's true," he confirmed with a laugh. "Do you remember that one time when Charlotte went to work with sunglasses on? She wore them the entire day, and Filomeno never noticed!"

As Andrew and Zay delved into a conversation regarding their colleagues' drunken shenanigans in the workplace, Lucas and Riley slid into the booth while Maya volunteered to get everybody's drinks.

"I'll have a margarita," Riley informed.

Lucas said he'd like a Negroni, while Andrew asked for another round of Old Fashioned.

"How about you, Zay? Whiskey, neat?" Maya questioned.

Zay shook his head. "I'll have a club soda. Unlike some of my colleagues here, I don't want to risk getting caught hungover by our boss tomorrow," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Josh and Andrew.

Maya nodded. "All right, and you Josh?"

"I'll just come with you," Josh announced as he stood up from his seat. "That's a lot of drinks to bring back in one trip."

"Okay. So a margarita, a Negroni, an Old Fashioned, a club soda, and a dry martini for me," Maya summarized, pointing to whoever ordered the drink she uttered. "Great! We'll be right back, guys."

Josh and Maya braved the throng of drunk, dancing clubbers. With a nightclub as packed as Club Sinners, Josh kept an eye trained on Maya so he wouldn't lose her in the crowd. The two of them eventually reached the bar, and Maya recited the group's order to the bartender.

"You look great, by the way," Josh commented while he and Maya waited for the bartender to mix all the drinks they ordered.

"What?" Maya shouted over the booming music of the nightclub.

Josh leaned in, placing his lips next to Maya's ear. "I said you look great," he repeated.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Maya responded, grinning.

Josh laughed. "I mean, I'm only wearing my work clothes. If I had bothered to dress up, I bet you'd say I look dashing," he taunted.

Maya responded with a playful shove.

"Nah, I'm just kidding," Josh uttered.

The bartender notified Josh and Maya that the club soda, the dry martini, and the two Old Fashioned were mixed. The margarita and the Negroni were in the works.

"So, where's Sophie?" Maya queried after acknowledging the bartender.

Josh brought out his phone to check the time. "She just got off work actually," he answered.

"You should tell her to join us, and I'll invite another plus one of mine. Andrew will thank me later," Maya declared with a wink.

"Maya, didn't we talk about how I don't want Sophie to know about you yet?" Josh reminded. "I might've allowed that stunt you pulled off last week, but—"

"Josh, relax," Maya interrupted, chuckling. "Sophie _will_ definitely recognize me—I'll give you that—but you can always say that you met me through Zay. Besides, she doesn't know that I'm an event coordinator. How can she put two and two together when she doesn't even have the pieces to work with in the first place?"

Josh mulled over what Maya told him. She did have a point. Sophie and Maya already crossed paths, and Josh couldn't do anything about it. He'd only look suspicious if he allowed himself to feel unnerved every time Sophie and Maya were in the same room together. With a sigh, Josh unlocked his phone and sent a quick message to his girlfriend.

Smiling triumphantly, Maya pulled out her own phone from her clutch bag and started typing a new message. Josh's smirk widened when he saw the name of the person Maya texted.

Soon enough, the bartender finished concocting their orders, and Josh and Maya strode back to their table with everyone's drinks in their hands.

* * *

Sophie arrived at Club Sinners several minutes after Josh sent her a message inviting her to join them for the night. Upon reaching the group's booth, Sophie's eyes went straight to Maya and a look of recognition passed over her features.

"I remember you," Sophie declared as she claimed the spot next to Josh. "You walked into my boutique the other day."

Maya raised her glass of dry martini as though she was giving a toast. "Guilty as charged," she said.

Sophie's gaze then went from Maya to Josh, a questioning look on her face. "How did the two of you know each other?" she asked.

Josh and Maya exchanged a brisk look before Josh opened his mouth to answer. "We met through Zay—you remember Zay, right?" he started, gesturing at his colleague seated next to Maya.

"Yes, of course," Sophie replied, nodding.

"Yeah, well, Zay and Maya are childhood friends. I had some photographs I needed to get from Zay, Maya happened to drop by for a visit, and we were introduced. It's very recent, so . . ." Josh trailed off, occasionally glancing at Maya to check if she agreed with his phony story.

Maya disguised her subtle nod of approval by taking a sip of her dry martini.

From alongside Riley, Andrew's eyebrows furrowed together. If he remembered correctly, that wasn't how Josh and Maya met. He was a witness to their first meeting after all. But if Josh and Maya went as far as lying about how they really knew each other, Andrew thought he might be better off going along with whatever the two were scheming.

"Oh, that's great," Sophie commented with a grin. Her eyes then inspected the rest of the table and noted two more people. She recognized one of them, but she wasn't familiar with the other. With her smile still intact, she said, "Riley! It's nice to see you again. You haven't dropped by my boutique for a while."

"It's because my husband thinks I own too many pencil skirts. My obsession is currently on hiatus until further notice," Riley joked, laughing.

"Ah, I see," Sophie played along. She turned to the man seated next to Riley.

"Lucas Friar, Riley's husband," Lucas introduced even before Sophie could ask him who he was. He grasped Sophie's hand and shook it.

"Word on the street there's a big get-together going on in this nightclub," came a sultry voice from behind Josh and Sophie. Likewise, the newcomer extended a hand to Sophie. "Hi, my name's Jasmine Wilcox. It's so nice to finally meet you."

While everyone welcomed Jasmine to the booth, Josh and Maya's attention focused on Andrew eagerly downing his glass of Old Fashioned.

* * *

While Sophie and Lucas immersed themselves in a conversation regarding their businesses, Josh left the booth to fetch a margarita for his girlfriend. Andrew then announced he'd grab another round of drinks for himself and trailed after Josh. He spotted Maya on the dance floor, bopping along to the booming music with Jasmine and Riley.

"Ladies!" Andrew yelled over the music. "Can I borrow Frosty over here for a moment?"

"Of course!" Riley answered, giggling. "Just make sure you bring her back!"

Andrew grabbed Maya's wrist and led her toward the bar, where Josh stood waiting for Sophie's margarita. Andrew and Maya parked themselves alongside Josh, who regarded them with an amused smile.

"Wow. I didn't know you could tear up a dance floor like that, Maya," Josh taunted.

Maya chuckled. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Matthews," she responded breathlessly.

From alongside the two, Andrew asked the bartender for a round of tequila shots. The bartender served Andrew the shots and the latter down every single glass, one after another.

"Whoa. Slow down there, tiger," Josh said, chuckling.

Andrew drank another shot of tequila, ignoring Josh's statement. "I didn't expect Jasmine to be here," he responded.

"You're welcome," Maya stated with a triumphant smile.

"Ever since I brought Jasmine some egg rolls, she'd been approaching me differently. You know how she would always turn me down whenever I'd ask her out on a date? Well, yesterday, I brought up that drive-in movie again and, although she didn't necessarily say yes, she didn't turn me down," Andrew narrated.

"That's great!" Maya commented. "I told you she'd come around. For all we know, she might already have feelings for you when you started pursuing her, but was just playing hard to get."

Josh noted the troubled look on Andrew's face. "But . . . ?" he prodded.

Andrew sighed. "You know I'm very confident and optimistic when it comes to Jasmine, but ever since she began showing interest in me, I'm . . . well, I don't want to screw it up."

Josh and Maya exchanged a look.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Andrew," Maya reassured, planting a hand on Andrew's shoulder. "Josh and I are gonna put on our matchmaking caps and make sure you and Jasmine end up together tonight."

"Yeah, we—wait, what? We are?" Josh questioned.

Maya smirked impishly. "Of course. You guys are my friends now, and if there's one thing you should know about me, I care very much about my friends' happiness. And if Jasmine's it for you, Andrew, then I'll help you get her."

* * *

"Jasmine!" Maya exclaimed as she returned to the dance floor. Josh and Andrew trailed after her.

Jasmine spun on her heel, instantly catching Maya's wrists and leading her to a dance that she and Riley had been performing. Maya swayed her hips, shimmied her shoulders, and bounced up and down on her feet to the beat of the music.

"Yeah, my bestie's back!" Riley exclaimed while she bopped along with her friends, a mojito in hand.

Maya snuck a glance over her shoulder and saw that Josh and Andrew had joined the crowd not far away from the women. Much to her surprise, the two looked nowhere near hopeless on the dance floor. Andrew knew how to bust a move, while Josh went along with whatever preposterous dance craze his best friend was doing.

Josh caught Maya's eyes and raised a brow, signaling her to start moving Jasmine closer to Andrew, exactly like how they planned.

Maya grabbed Jasmine's hands and danced with her, all the while subtly inching her closer to Andrew. The latter seemed oblivious to Maya's ulterior motive, basking in her friends' company and losing herself in the reverberating music.

A hand clamped on Maya's shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Maya!" Riley called, breathless. "I'm tapping out!"

"Already? But I just got back!"

Riley nodded. "I know, but my shoes are killing me!" she complained as she passed a glance at their booth. "I'm gonna go see if Sophie wants to tag-team with me."

As Riley steered her way back to their booth, Maya resumed her preempted mission. Finding her groove, she shimmied her shoulders toward Jasmine, who eagerly shimmied back. She continued to dance around Jasmine until eventually, the latter bumped into Andrew's back.

Andrew and Jasmine swiveled in perfect sync, eyes widening at the sight of one another.

"Well, hello to you," Jasmine greeted, her voice seductive.

"Jasmine," Andrew stated, "would you care to dance with me?"

"Those damn egg rolls really did you wonders, didn't they?"

Andrew gripped Jasmine's waist and pulled her toward his body. Despite the packed crowd of the dance floor, Andrew found a space wide enough to dip Jasmine. She yelped in surprise, but the look in her eyes implied that she enjoyed the rush.

With broad smiles on their faces, Josh and Maya stepped back from the dancing duo. They maneuvered their way out of the dance floor while congratulating one another for doing a fantastic job.

Sophie, Lucas, Riley, and Zay looked up when the two returned to the booth.

"Uh-oh, I know that look. What did you do?" Riley asked upon noting the roguish expression on Maya's face. She stood to switch places with Zay, but her head spun, causing her to stagger back into her seat.

"Okay, I think you've had enough margaritas for tonight," Lucas announced, gripping Riley's hips to steady her. "I've got a good feeling Mrs. Friar would be calling up her favorite substitute teacher tomorrow morning."

Riley giggled as she collapsed in her husband's arms. "You're too handsome, honey," she sweet-talked while she angled her head to plant a fervent kiss on Lucas's lips.

Maya slumped on the empty seat next to Zay, snatching his club soda and downing the rest of it. With a sigh, she allowed her head to fall on Zay's shoulder. "I think I'm officially done for tonight," she announced.

"I think so, too," Zay agreed, reaching up to give Maya's cheek a pat.

Riley giggled again. "Seriously, what did you do? Hold on, I'll do you one better: What did you _and_ Josh do?" she queried.

Sophie's gaze flicked to her boyfriend.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Josh responded as he gestured to the dance floor, where Andrew and Jasmine were caught in a heated lip-lock.

"About damn time, Williams!" Zay yelled.

Riley whistled, raising yet another glass of margarita. Lucas soon joined in the hurrah.

"Yeah! Way to go, Andrew!" Sophie hollered, cupping a hand over her mouth.

Josh and Maya guffawed as they simultaneously reached across the table, their palms hitting one another's in a jubilant high-five.

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter: Lucky Dog by DREAMERS**_

 **I'd like to imagine that's the song playing in the background when Jandrew kissed ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked that as much as I had fun writing it. Thanks for reading and let me what you think!**


	13. Of Steinbeck and Mommy Issues

**A/N: Okay, I get that you all aren't very happy with me right now, but bear with me, please. You think things seem dark and blurry for Joshaya at the moment, but trust me. Trust me trust me trust me.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 13. This one contains that "one line" you all loved from the old version, and I hope that's enough to somehow make up for breaking your hearts? *crosses fingers* Hahaha! Enjoy, guys!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: Of Steinbeck and Mommy Issues**_

Maya buttoned her winter coat as she stepped out of the Tan House Events building, her arms packed with thick folders. Her phone was tucked between her ear and her shoulder, keeping it from falling to the ground.

"What's up?" Maya greeted Zay, who rang her up a moment ago.

Tramping across the street, Maya shivered when a chilly breeze flew by. It was freezing that day with the temperature dropping down to the unforgiving negatives. A snowstorm was predicted by the evening, which she wasn't excited about, considering the absurd amount of snow the previous storm brought over New York City.

"I got called for another business trip," Zay notified the same time Maya heard rustling noises in the background. "My flight leaves at eleven-twenty tonight."

"And you're just telling me _now_?" Maya asked, jaw clenching to prevent her teeth from chattering. "Where are you headed to this time?"

"The Philippines," Zay answered. "There was a typhoon that hit the country a week ago and it absolutely wrecked some parts of this region called Mindanao. Filomeno wants me to capture the disaster the hurricane left behind because he wants to do a huge report about it, and have it be the next months' cover story. Disasters like these really have the power to have an entire nation lending a helping hand, and Filomeno _adores_ inspirational stories."

Maya's heart broke for the victims of the typhoon. "When will you be back?" she asked.

"This kind of job normally takes about a day or so, but I volunteered to help with cleaning up the place and providing aid for the victims, so I will be missing Christmas," Zay responded, and Maya could hear the reluctance in his tone when he implied that she'd be alone for the upcoming holiday.

Before Zay could tell Maya he's sorry, she cut him off. "It's fine, they need you more than I do," she reassured. "I won't be alone anyway. I'm pretty sure Riley's itching to send me an invite to her Christmas party."

"Still, I'm sorry I'm missing Christmas with you this year," Zay apologized. "I can give you your present now if you want."

Maya chuckled. "I don't have anything for you, though."

"You're joking."

"All right, you caught me," Maya said. "Maybe you can drop by at my place later before you have to run to the airport. We'll do some exchanging of gifts ceremony and have some wine."

Zay laughed. "Sounds like a great time. Sure, I'll be there," he replied.

A moment of silence lingered between the two. Maya took that opportunity to switch her phone over to the other side, once again trapping it between her shoulder and her ear. She could hear a suitcase zipping closed from Zay's side of the call, which implied that he was packing for his business trip.

"So—"

"Maya," Zay interrupted.

"Yeah?" Maya answered. Her body shivered even more as she increased her pace, eager to get to her destination where she knew it would be warm. She stepped on some ice on the ground and her foot slipped, but she managed to regain her balance before she fell flat on the ground.

"I'm sorry, but I just have to ask before I leave again," Zay began, sighing. "Have you thought about that thing we talked about the last time we were on the phone?"

Maya exhaled heavily. Although she loved Zay like he was her own brother, there were moments when Maya wished he wouldn't act like one. Zay knew how much she disliked talking about Katy, yet she couldn't distinguish why he had an incessant habit where he would bring up Katy every time they held a conversation.

Maya pretended she didn't recall the discussion Zay was referring to, though it was crystal clear to her which one it was. "Am I supposed to be thinking about something?" she questioned.

Zay clicked his tongue in exasperation. "Maya, do _not_ act up again."

"Then, you should know better than to bring up the topic you know I don't like to talk about!"

"No matter how many times you try to avoid it, you can't escape it, Maya," Zay reprimanded, casting on his authoritative tone of voice. It was his way of showing that he wasn't in the mood to pound around the bush.

"You promised me you'd give me more time when I need it," Maya reminded.

"I know I did, but—"

"Zay, I don't want to talk about this right now," Maya interjected. "I'm handling a lot of events at the moment, so please don't be the person that gives me more stuff to think about."

From the way Zay exhaled, Maya could tell that she'd exceeded him.

"If I promised you time, I'll give you time," Zay began. "But I want you to promise me something, too, Maya. I want you to promise me that when I get back from this trip, we're going to sit down and have a serious conversation about Katy. I won't tolerate any type of bullshit you're planning to approach the topic with."

Maya remained tight-lipped.

"You may not care about her right now, Maya, but I do—a lot. Our families spent so much time together when we were growing up that Katy became a second mother to me," Zay added. "You and I were attached to the hip since we were kids, so you of all people should know that."

As much as she wanted to protest, Maya caved in and blurted a half-assed, "Fine."

"That doesn't sound sincere to me, Maya," Zay chastised. "Do you promise me?"

Trying to make her voice sound as profound as she could muster, Maya croaked out a strangled, "I promise."

Maya wasn't sure if she sounded convincing enough but deemed herself successful because the next thing she knew, Zay was letting her know he'd hold her to that promise.

"All right, I'll see you tonight," Zay added afterward.

Maya nodded though she knew he couldn't see her. "No talk of her tonight, please?" she requested.

Zay chuckled. "Okay, we're not talking about her tonight. Just presents and wine."

Maya was let off when she informed Zay that she was on her way to a library café to warm herself up. After Zay told her he'd be in charge of the wine selection tonight, the two bid goodbye to each other and ended the phone call.

Huffing out another breath, Maya pocketed her phone and pushed the doors to the library café open. Relief washed over her when the warmth of the quaint café enveloped her entire body. The place wasn't populated, which Maya didn't mind. A quiet place was what she was searching for.

With a cordial smile, Maya strode to the counter and ordered a cup of chai latte. She then sought an empty table and found one in the corner. As she made her way there, Maya recognized a familiar looking brown hair peeking above a worn out paperback book, occupying a table located by the windows. The book covered his face, but Maya had seen the man countless times before to know that it was Josh.

Unhesitatingly, Maya switched direction and headed for Josh's table.

"Hey," Maya greeted, much to Josh's surprise. "Mind if I join you?"

A smile crept up Josh's lips. "Yeah, of course," he responded with a chuckle. "What are you doing here? Aren't you . . . I don't know, cheating on Topanga's by being here?"

Maya placed her folders down on the table and hopped on the chair opposite Josh. "Topanga's is very busy around this time of day, and I needed to go someplace quiet," she explained. "Obviously, I could go back to my apartment or my studio, but I don't really feel like going home just yet."

Maya's chai latte arrived and she took a cautious sip, careful not to let the hot liquid sear her tongue.

"I see," Josh replied.

"How about you? What are you doing here?" Maya questioned.

"I'm waiting for Sophie to get off work," Josh replied, glancing briefly at his wristwatch. "She doesn't get out for another hour, so I thought I'd stroll around the city. I found this little library café and I've been sitting here for a while now."

"It's amazing what you can find when you pay attention to the little things this city has to offer," Maya stated before she took another sip of her chai latte.

Josh smiled. "You should check out their collection, it's impressive," he remarked as he gestured at the small library behind Maya. "They've got everything from Hawthorne to Salinger—even contemporary authors if you're into that sort of thing."

Maya nodded, glimpsing the library over her shoulder. "That _is_ impressive, but I'll have to come back for that some other time. I've got a stack I need to get through today," she uttered while gesturing at the stack of folders in front of her.

"Fry your brains out," Josh commented as he returned to his book.

Maya snickered at his remark. Grabbing the top folder from her stack, she flipped it open to the first page. She browsed through a summary of a client's event, noting all the reservations she needed to secure and individuals she needed to contact before a certain due date.

"This bar mitzvah's all over the place. What was Darby thinking?" Maya murmured, her eyebrows furrowing together as she examined the contents of the second folder from her pile. She browsed through it, finding a list of clashing dates and catering complications due to the client's many dietary restrictions.

Josh lowered his book a little to sneak a glimpse at Maya. When she noticed him looking, Maya uttered a quick apology for bothering him, but he swayed his head to tell her that it wasn't much of a big deal.

Half an hour later, Maya finished her stack of folders. She sighed when she noticed that she'd drained her chai latte, and resolved to head back to the counter and order her second cup. The barista served it to her a moment later. When she returned to her and Josh's table, she set aside her stack of folders and extracted a hardcover textbook from her bag, flipping it open to the page where she last left off.

Josh lowered his book and examined the one Maya was reading.

"What are you reading?" Josh questioned, his eyes trained on Maya's textbook.

"Western Art: Renaissance to Post-Modern," Maya answered. "I read my old textbooks from college whenever I feel uninspired."

"Sounds serious," Josh commented with a smile. "I hope I'm not taking too much of your studio time. I know art is your passion, and—"

"No, no, it's not because of our deal. My feeling uninspired is _all_ because of me," Maya interjected. She diverted her gaze from Josh to look at his shabby book. It was turned with the pages front up, forbidding her from knowing its title. Nodding at it, she asked, "What about you? What are you reading?"

"Oh," Josh chirped, picking the book up and showing the front cover to Maya. "Steinbeck. _Of Mice and Men_. The book's actually terrific, one of my all-time favorites."

Maya nodded in agreement. "I've read that one before when I was in high school," she told him, which provoked Josh's features to light up in surprise. "And you're definitely not wrong when you said that it's a terrific piece. I read a lot of books in high school, but that's got to be my favorite."

Josh's eyebrows shot up. "Most people I know always said that Hamlet was it for them."

"I mean, sure, Hamlet's great, but . . . _Of Mice and Men_ is also a tale of tragedy, yet it actually had me feeling _sorry_ for the characters. Shakespeare wrote a lot of tragic stories, so it's expected of him. Like, it's only gonna be a matter of time until you know Shakespeare's gonna spring a death at you," Maya commented.

"Are you a fan of literature?" Josh queried, his eyes glinting with delight.

Maya didn't want to crush his excitement, but she had to be honest with him. "I'm not _that_ much of a fan," she responded. "I read books, yes, but I wouldn't really consider myself a literature geek."

"So, you're saying that I am?" Josh challenged, leaning forward to cross his arms on the table.

"No," Maya argued, shaking her head. "It's just that . . . I don't typically read a book in order to participate in discussions about the internal meanings of a certain novel or the different types of literary devices that were used. I only read them for fun, but going in so deep to excavate the true meaning of the piece? Uh-uh. What I told you a while ago was the most you could get out of me."

Josh smirked, a smug expression on his face. "So, you _are_ calling me a geek."

"All right, I _might_ have implied it," Maya admitted. "But you were an English major, so you probably did a lot of that stuff back in college."

"As a matter of fact, I did, and I enjoyed them a lot."

"See?" Maya taunted, poking Josh in his arm. "You're a geek."

Josh sat back in his chair as he picked up his book again, opening it to the page he left off. "Go back to your renaissance art. I'm sure you've got heaps of naked people to examine," he mocked with a broad smile on his face.

Maya kicked Josh on his shin, which elicited a laugh from him.

"What?" Josh asked, still laughing. "I take one look at your textbook and the first thing I see is a penis!"

Maya's eyes widened. "Josh! You can't say _that_ out loud!" she chided, surveying the library café to see if they'd caught anyone's attention. Much to her relief, everyone was preoccupied with his or her own conversations.

"But, it's _there_!" Josh carried on, pointing at one of the pictures on Maya's textbook. "It's just staring right at you, which makes it kind of hard to ignore."

"Only those that have perverted minds would find it hard to ignore," Maya retorted with a daring smirk. "I've read through this whole textbook one too many times before and not once did I have a problem with it."

Josh laughed again. "All right, if you say so," he said.

With her smile still intact, Maya diverted her attention back to her textbook. Although halfway through reading the fourth paragraph on the page where Josh pointed out the male sex, she found that she couldn't keep his taunts off her head. Her brain had switched off, turning away any educational information her textbook provided.

Maya pushed the textbook to the side. "I'm done," she declared.

Josh closed his book. "You're done?"

"You just ruined renaissance art for me, so I'm just gonna work on something else. Expect a 'thank you' Hallmark card for that, by the way," Maya uttered as she stacked her textbook on top of her pile of folders. Reaching behind for her bag, she drew out her sketchpad. "Now, I want to do something else."

Josh closed his book, his interest piqued. "Like what?" he questioned.

Maya noted the time and discovered she only had half an hour until Zay comes over for their scheduled evening of Christmas presents and wine.

"If you want, we can work on your poem for Sophie," Maya suggested. "Have you started writing it?"

"Well," Josh drawled, "we've got the title down, that's for sure."

Maya's expression fell. "You didn't work on it," she deadpanned.

"I did!" Josh was quick to defend himself. "Here," he spoke as he reached for his own messenger bag and brought out his frayed leather notebook. He flipped it open to the page where he wrote the poem's title and passed the notebook to Maya. "This is what I have so far. It's only a rough draft, so the rhyming isn't perfect."

Maya took the notebook. Glancing at the page in front of her, she cleared her throat and prepared to recite Josh's words. " _I've waited a hundred years, but I'd wait a million more for you_ ," she read, her eyes following along the succeeding line. " _Nothing prepared me for what the privilege of being yours would do._ "

Maya was silent for a moment, which worried Josh.

"So?" he prompted.

"This is beautiful, Josh!" Maya remarked. "And here I thought you said you weren't good with poetry."

"If I'm doing this for Sophie, I'm gonna try to come up with only the best," Josh responded bashfully, taking the notebook from Maya's grasp when she handed it back to him. "The inspiration for that originated from that time we talked about Sophie on Thanksgiving. She's a very busy woman, so I haven't found the time to talk to her about compromising in terms of her frequent travels, but . . . if there is anything I would want to say to her, _this_ is it."

Placing her elbow on the table, Maya propped her chin on her upturned palm. "I think it's perfect," she commented. "I guess this means we're off to a good start."

Josh nodded, smiling. He didn't utter a word after, and neither did Maya. The two sat in complete yet comfortable silence, turning back to their own businesses. Josh finished Steinbeck's novel as Maya brushed on the finishing touches of the altered design for Leigh's benefit concert's poster.

After a few more minutes of staying put, Maya drained what remained of her chai latte and announced that she should best be going. Josh agreed, standing up from his seat and walking toward the small library in the back. He returned Steinbeck's book on the shelf where he found it earlier.

"So, do you have plans with Sophie tonight?" Maya queried as she and Josh exited the library café.

Josh shoved his hands in his coat's pockets and shrugged. "We're probably just gonna end up watching a movie while eating Chinese on our couch. She mentioned earlier that she recorded _Rush Hour 2_ for me this morning before she went to work, so . . . yeah. That's our night, basically," he stated.

Maya chuckled. "Really? Watching _Rush Hour 2_ while eating Chinese?"

"I don't think Sophie has realized that yet," Josh remarked, laughing. "How about you? Any chance you're gonna tear up another dance floor tonight?"

Maya shook her head. "Oh, God, no. I'm not in the mood to go out and pay for tomorrow's hangover— _again_ ," she answered with a chuckle. "Zay's coming over at my place tonight before he leaves for the Philippines. There'll be some wine involved, but we're not gonna go ballistic."

"Yeah, I've heard he and Jasmine scored another assignment," Josh stated. He lifted a hand to flag an oncoming taxi, but he put it down when he realized that the taxi had a passenger. The yellow vehicle swooped past them, the snow crunching underneath its tires.

"I don't know about Jasmine, but Zay will be staying longer in the Philippines to help out with the typhoon victims. That's actually why he's coming over tonight, we'll celebrate our little Christmas in advance since he won't be here for it this year," Maya informed.

"That sounds like a great time," Josh commented, but immediately caught himself when he realized what he said. "I mean, not Zay missing Christmas, of course—"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"You're doing better than Andrew, though. He's being dramatic about Jasmine leaving, even if she'd only be gone for two days," Josh informed, laughing. "You should've seen him at the office the other day when Jasmine broke the news to him."

"I can only imagine," Maya replied, referring to Andrew's theatrical antics. She watched as Josh looked at both sides of the road, watching out for any oncoming taxis. So far, the only ones that passed them had passengers on board.

After yet another occupied taxi drove by them, Maya adjusted her navy blue beanie and turned to Josh, her lips pursing. "Hey, Josh?" she called, squinting an eye as she looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to ask you this, but I never really got around to it," Maya answered.

Josh tilted his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Why did you want to know so much about why we didn't see each other at NYU when we were in college?" Maya asked inquisitively, fiddling with the buttons on her winter coat.

Josh took a moment to answer. When he finally constructed the perfect response in his head, he looked Maya in her eyes and said, without faltering, "I thought it would've been better had I met you back then."

Hearing those words coming out of his mouth, Maya could only stare at Josh, utterly stupefied, as he flagged an oncoming empty taxi.

* * *

 **No song of the chapter today because I'm still constructing the story's playlist and I haven't chosen a song for this one yet. Although I'm using the lyrics to Sleeping At Last's "Turning Page." I decided to write an original poem for Josh to use, but I haven't finished that one yet. So temporarily, we'll go with the Turning Page lyrics.**

 **I hope you guys liked this somehow, and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	14. Permanent Ink

**A/N: Glad you all liked the last chapter and that you still remember that "one line." That scene where Josh and Maya are sitting quietly, minding their own businesses while in the company of each other was actually inspired by something that happened to me in real life last fall semester in college. Although the guy and I weren't as close as Josh and Maya are, it still made my heart flutter because I had _MAJOR_ feelings for the guy back then. I also caught him stealing glances when we were sitting together at the table. And he also helped me study for my exam and walked me to class afterward and I was just _bursting_ with emotions. Y'all I was SO READY to make a move, but it was a good thing I didn't because . . . I caught something gold and shiny on his left ring finger (*ouch*). Nothing like finding out the guy you like is UNAVAILABLE FOREVER.**

 **Anyway, there was a review that I received, telling me that they haven't noticed any difference between Josh/Maya and Josh/Sophie so far. Not sure if you picked up on it, but I did leave a little hint a few chapters back. It's not THE major difference I was talking about, but it's ONE of the differences. Remember when Filomeno first turned down Josh's feature story proposal? Maya comforted him in the break room while Sophie didn't pay much attention to it when Josh called her when she was still in Los Angeles? Yep, first clue right there.**

 **Second anyway, I won't keep you long. Enjoy this chapter, and yes, this might've been heavily inspired by _The Flash_.**

 **Disclaimer: _Home Alone 2: Lost in New York_ belongs to its rightful owner(s).This girlie's just using it for content purposes.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14: Permanent Ink**_

No one was home by the time Josh arrived back from his weekend noontime errands. The apartment was eerily quiet when he walked into the room, the only sound he could hear was the closing of the front door after he kicked it shut with his foot, and the grumbling noises his stomach made. He headed to the kitchen and snatched an apple from the fruit basket.

Taking a big bite of the apple, Josh pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent Sophie a short text, asking her where she was. After, he stalked toward the refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of water before plopping down on the couch.

Josh's phone chimed with a new message from Sophie.

 _ **Sophie**_ — _I'm at the boutique. I know I promised I wouldn't work the weekends anymore, but ever since Valentina advertised my line, orders have been coming in nonstop. I can't leave Linda alone to work on those orders._

After sending a reply saying he understood how important her presence was at the boutique, Josh grabbed the remote control and switched on the television. He watched a cooking show for an hour before he found himself changing the channel. Settling for a noontime Spanish opera, Josh aimed to understand what the actors were saying. He figured it was time he put to test the three years of Spanish he did in high school. It was a failed attempt, however, since Josh didn't pay attention to Seńora García's class back then.

There was another change of channel.

Josh flicked through numerous channels until he felt himself growing tired of his repetitive activity. He stood up and resolved to take a shower, discerning a need to feel clean. Discarding the apple core, he ambled toward his bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, Josh stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He trudged across the bedroom floor toward his own dresser, pulling open one of the drawers. As his hands fumbled for a fresh pair of boxers, Josh went to check the spot where he hid the velvet box that housed Sophie's engagement ring.

"No," Josh murmured, eyes wide when he didn't feel the familiar sensation of velvet under his fingers. "No no no no no no."

Gripping his towel so it wouldn't slide off his waist, Josh sprinted to the living room and dove for his phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found the name he was aiming for. Clicking on it, Josh placed the phone next to his ear and waited anxiously until the person answered the call.

* * *

It had already been three days since Zay flew to the Philippines, and there never was a day that Maya didn't receive an update from him. Whether it was a picture of the people he'd helped so far or the progress they're making to reestablish the wrecked towns of Tubod and Piagapo, Zay made sure Maya saw all of it.

Maya was looking at the newest picture Zay sent him when she heard the microwave beeped. She hopped off the kitchen stool to take out the bowl of mac 'n cheese she decided to have as her movie snack. The endless festive movies on the television had always been something she looked forward to every year. Her favorite, _Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,_ was up next on the schedule.

Plopping down on her couch, Maya shoved a spoonful of mac 'n cheese in her mouth, the same time the innumerable commercials ended and the movie started. She settled contentedly on her couch with her wool blanket draped over her crossed legs. Ten minutes into the movie, Maya's phone rang, diverting her attention from her television screen to her phone.

Maya picked up the call without so much as glancing at the caller ID. "Hello?" she greeted.

"Hey, I heard about Zay missing Christmas," Riley spoke, panting as she ran on the treadmill.

Maya heard crashing noises and a grunt of pain from Riley's end of the call. She ignored it, knowing that the couple was at the gym, and the noise was most likely Lucas dropping the barbells on the floor.

"Well, when duty calls . . ." Maya replied with a sigh. "Besides, he's doing something noble for the typhoon victims. I would only feel worse if Zay decided to spend Christmas with me rather than helping those who are in need."

"You know you're always invited to our party," Riley noted. She pressed a button on the treadmill console and the walking belt slowed to a stop. "In fact, you hold a lifelong invitation to _any_ of our parties. You can literally walk in unannounced and no one would question why you're there."

"I don't want to sound important, but I already know that," Maya responded, her eyes glued to the television screen.

"Perks of being my best friend, huh?" Riley mocked.

"Oh, for sure." Maya laughed, scooping another spoonful of her mac 'n cheese.

"So, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to make an appearance," Maya teased.

Riley exhaled a breath of relief. "Good. When I heard Zay would be missing Christmas, I thought you'd sulk in your apartment, probably watching _Home Alone 2_ . . . you know, like what you're doing now," she retaliated.

"What? How did you know I was watching _Home Alone 2_? Are you here?" Maya asked, straightening in her seat and surveying her living room. She thought Riley might be hiding somewhere in her apartment, spying on her.

Riley chuckled. "No, Maya. I can hear your TV in the background. You're at that part where Uncle Frank just called out that one kid from drinking soda, right?"

Maya turned to her television screen to see that Uncle Frank had indeed grabbed the soda from the kid and had taken a sip of it. "Yeah," she drawled. "Wow, is my TV really _that_ loud? I never realized."

Riley hummed in agreement before she said, "Hey, I have to go."

"Yeah, of course."

"But, it's settled though, right? You're spending Christmas with us?" Riley asked.

"Yes, I will. And you just made me miss five minutes of the movie, so I'm hanging up."

"Oh, shush. It's not like you haven't seen _Home Alone 2_ before," Riley commented with a laugh.

"No, I haven't," Maya played along. "I have absolutely no clue about what's going to happen. Will Kevin get lost in New York just like what the title is _clearly_ implying?"

"Okay, that's my cue. Bye, Maya. I'll see you when I see you."

"Bye."

After the line went dead, Maya picked up her then cold mac 'n cheese and turned her attention to the television screen. The MacCallisters sped through the airport customs, maneuvering their way through the thick crowd of people, unaware that a certain little blond kid was being left behind. Maya scooped a spoonful of mac 'n cheese and shoved it in her mouth, but she gagged when the taste of the cold food invaded her taste buds.

* * *

When Maya reached the part where the hotel staff discovered that Kevin's credit card was "stolen," the time was a shy away from a quarter after four in the afternoon.

Maya got up to her feet and decided to finish the bottle of wine Zay left the last time he was at her apartment. As the television broadcasted its numerous commercials once again, Maya opened her refrigerator and took out the wine. She skipped the formality of using a glass since it was almost empty and chugged the liquid straight from the bottle. Wincing at the coldness lining her throat, she trotted back to the couch, just as her phone notified her of another incoming call.

Neglecting to check the caller ID for the second time, Maya answered. "Hey, what's—"

"No time for that—I lost the ring!"

Maya pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller ID. Her eyes widened when she saw Josh's name. "What do you mean you lost the ring?" she queried incredulously.

"I don't know!" Josh responded, panicked. "It was just in my dresser, but now it's not! Oh, God. Maya, what if Sophie _saw_ it? Our plans—the poem isn't even done yet!"

"All right, Josh, calm down," Maya said as she took deep breaths. "Where did you last see it?"

"I told you, it was just in my dresser."

"Have you looked around your apartment?"

"I—I haven't had the chance yet," Josh answered, his breath evening. "I called you as soon as I found out the ring's lost."

"I'm sure it's just somewhere in your apartment, Josh. Unless you carry it with you everywhere you go, then that ring could be anywhere," Maya stated. She exchanged the bottle of wine with the bowl of mac 'n cheese. "Listen, if you want, I can help you look for it."

"Yes," Josh answered with haste. "Yes, please."

"All right, text me your address and I'll be there."

After Josh ended the call and had given her his apartment's address, Maya turned off the television and got ready to leave.

* * *

Maya entered Josh's apartment as she shook her golden locks to rid it of the snowflakes that had fallen on her head. "Any luck?" she interrogated, unwinding the mustard scarf around her neck and hanging it on the coat rack by the front door.

Josh sighed. "I searched both in our bedroom and the bathroom before you got here, and I didn't find it," he replied while his eyes scanned the room. Then, in a whisper, he uttered, "Where the hell could that ring be?"

"Well, now that you've got an extra pair of eyes to help you, finding that ring shouldn't be difficult," Maya stated with an encouraging smile. "Shall we?"

Josh nodded, returning Maya's grin.

In a matter of minutes, Josh and Maya had flipped pillows and sofa cushions and had searched under the tables. Neither found the velvet box they were looking for. After, Maya resolved to ferret the kitchen, while Josh went for the bookcases lining the back wall of the room.

"How's it going over there?" Maya asked as she opened every drawers and cupboard in the kitchen. She even went as far as to check the oven and the microwave, in case Josh had a wild initiative to hide the velvet box in either of those kitchen appliances.

Josh heaved a deep sigh. "Still nothing," he replied, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know where that ring disappeared to. I haven't touched it for weeks, so it's impossible that I misplaced it."

"If you didn't touch it, then it wouldn't have disappeared from your dresser," Maya noted. She closed one of the drawers she left open with her hip and trudged back to the living room. The kitchen was clear of the missing engagement ring. "Are you sure you didn't bring it out? Maybe you decided to hide it somewhere else, but you just can't remember where that 'somewhere else' is?"

Josh paused. His expression concentrated as he forced his brain to remember if he _did_ hide the velvet box someplace else. He recalled everything he'd done the past weeks, attempting to retrace the actions that could lead him to the location of the missing engagement ring.

While Josh was preoccupied in his own thoughts, Maya proceeded with her search. She went to one of the rectangular end tables in the living room and saw the numerous framed pictures on display. Although she knew she had an important task at hand, Maya couldn't help but pick up one of the framed pictures. It was of Josh celebrating his fifth birthday, the colorful banner behind the little five-year-old boy told her that. A party hat rested crookedly on his head as traces of melted chocolate ice cream trickled down the corner of his mouth. His grin was broad, making his cheeks puff up adorably.

Maya put down the picture and gazed at the one next to it. It was of Josh yet again, but this time he was with his parents. Josh was much older than he was in the previous picture she looked at. The trio looked joyous, arms around one another as they posed in front of their quaint house.

The next frames held pictures of Josh and Sophie. One was during the latter's college graduation. Sophie adorned a silver honor cord and a gold medal on her neck while Josh lovingly kissed her cheek. Maya moved on to the next frame and, this time, it was a picture of Josh during his own college graduation. His smile was wide as he held his diploma, his father standing next to him with an arm slung across his son's shoulders. He wore a proud grin of his own.

Noticing that only Josh's father was present in the picture, Maya examined the other frames and observed that Josh's mother wasn't included in them. The only frame she was in was the one of her with her whole family when Josh was a teenager.

A sudden cluttering noise provoked Maya out of her musings. She whirled to find Josh by the bookcases, rearranging the many decorations in their rightful order.

"Anything?" Josh questioned, briefly glancing at Maya over his shoulder.

Maya blinked and shook her head. "All clear," she answered.

"So, I've been thinking _really_ hard about where that ring might be" —Josh paused as he hauled a heavy canvas storage box on the uppermost shelf of one of the bookcases— "and I think the reason why we can't find it is because it's not in this apartment."

"Where is it, then?" Maya queried, placing her hands on her hips.

Josh grabbed another lidded canvas storage box. Before he placed it back on the top shelf, he gazed at Maya and answered, "It's in the drawers of my desk in the office."

Maya's shoulders sagged, her hands sliding off her hips. "So, we've been rummaging through your stuff for a ring we were never gonna find?" she uttered.

"I guess the big project has really taken a toll on me," Josh reasoned, chuckling. "It's been stowed in those drawers for weeks now—way before you and I even met—and I just forgot that I never brought it home with me after I showed Andrew the ring."

"I _did_ tell you that ring wouldn't misplace itself," Maya taunted as she made her way over to where Josh was. "You need a hand with those boxes?"

"Yes, please. My arms are getting tired," Josh answered with a breath of exhaustion. "These are mostly Sophie's stuff. This is where she stores her unfinished projects or the designs that never made it on her racks at the boutique."

Maya picked up a storage box and stood on her toes to put it back on the top shelf. She nevertheless came up short, and Josh reached over to push the rest of the box all the way in.

"Thanks," Maya stated as she flattened her feet back on the floor.

Josh grabbed the last storage box. As he reached up to stow it back to its place, his shirt rid up, uncovering a good amount of skin.

Maya didn't mean for her eyes to fall on Josh's exposed skin, but something kept her eyes dawdling longer than they should have. On his hip was a lightning bolt tattoo with a circle around it. Only half of the tattoo was showing, the waistband of his jeans obstructed the rest.

Fighting the urge to touch the design permanently inked on his skin, Maya cleared her throat and asked, "Big fan of _The Flash?_ "

Josh polished off his hands as his eyes gazed at Maya with surprise. It was a statement he'd least expected to come from her mouth. "What?" he questioned.

Maya gestured at his tattoo. "Not that I was staring at you like a total creep, but your shirt rid up and it was . . . well, it was kinda hard to ignore," she reasoned, tucking her hands in her jeans' pockets.

"No, you're fine. It's all right," Josh stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. He hefted the side of his shirt and the half of his tattoo returned to view. "It's the only tattoo I have if you were wondering. And, yes. The Flash is one of my favorite superheroes, but that's not why I have this tattoo."

Maya ogled at the permanent ink on Josh's hip. She kept her hands tucked in her pockets to prevent herself from touching it. Although she and Josh considered one another as friends, there were still some boundaries she knew not to cross.

"Why get a lightning bolt, then?" Maya interrogated.

Josh let go of his shirt, covering the tattoo.

"Most people think that the lightning bolt signifies fear," Josh began. He sat down on the couch and Maya followed suit, claiming the seat adjacent to him. "But, for me, it doesn't—at least, not anymore. When I was younger, I used to be scared of thunderstorms. It used to not bother me, but when I saw my first streak of lightning, I felt terrified. I was a kid with a wild imagination, so I always had the thought that every time the sky lit up with lightning, it was out to strike me."

Josh paused for a moment as he reminisced about his childhood.

"And then somebody told me that the lightning bolt signifies power—your utmost potential," Josh continued. "Lightning bolts harness an immense amount of electrical energy, and it destroys anything it strikes. When a person is given too much power, it can be harmful to others or it can cause self-destruction. The person who told me this taught me to always know my worth, but never take it to the point where I could be detrimental to others or to myself. That's why there's a circle around the lightning bolt—"

"It symbolizes the control you hold over that power," Maya interpreted.

Josh nodded. "But it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to suppress it all the time," he supplied. "You just have to know when too much is too much."

Maya was silent for a while, allowing the significance of Josh's tattoo to sink in. Aside from their talk on the deck of Lucas and Riley's house last Thanksgiving, this was the second time she and Josh shared an intimate moment. Josh willingly opened up to Maya about something that was important to him, which made the latter feel bad that she hadn't told him anything yet. Perhaps when the timing was right, she'd be ready to reciprocate.

"Anyway, do you want something to drink? I should have offered you one earlier, but I was in panic mode and my brain was everywhere," Josh spoke as he stood from the couch.

"Water's fine, thank you," Maya replied.

With a smile, Josh walked toward the kitchen to fetch her a glass.

Just then, Maya's phone buzzed with a new message from Leigh.

 ** _Leigh Robinson_** — _I'm in desperate need of your creative advice. Meet me at Complex Sounds?_

 _ **Maya**_ — _Sure, I'll be there in ten._

Maya pocketed her phone and stood up from the couch. "Actually, I have to go," she announced as she hitched her bag on her shoulder. "One of my clients is in need of my assistance."

Josh nodded. "Yeah, of course. Thanks for helping me, by the way," he said, meeting Maya by the front door to open it for her. "And I'm sorry for making you look for something that wasn't even here."

"It's no big deal," Maya reassured, shrugging. "If I were in your situation, I would've acted the same way. Losing an engagement ring is no joke."

After saying their goodbyes to one another, Maya left Josh's apartment, unaware that she forgot a certain mustard scarf still hanging on the coat rack by the front door.

* * *

"Can I get you anything else?" the waiter asked as he served Maya a plate of filleted sole shallow fish on a bed of herbed forbidden rice accompanied by a honeyed mango red pepper relish and avocado purée.

Maya shook her head with a smile. "I'm good, thank you."

"Very well, then. Enjoy your meal."

The second the waiter left, Maya dug in. She made certain her first bite consisted of every component of the dish to ensure that she was getting the experience. Heaving a satisfied sigh, Maya savored her first spoonful as the varying tastes exploded into something delectable in her mouth.

"I told you it'd be good."

Maya's face lit up when she recognized the voice that spoke to her. She stood up from her seat to greet the owner of the restaurant, whom she easily became good friends with. "Joel," she uttered as she engulfed him in an embrace.

"I didn't expect you to be back here so early," Joel noted, taking the seat opposite Maya.

"I wanted to see a friend."

Joel grinned, gazing at Maya's dish, then at the opened sketchpad next to her. He couldn't see the full drawing due to the many colored pencils that were lined on top of it, but he nevertheless got the sketch's subject.

Maya saw Joel looking at her sketchpad. "I hope you don't mind that I brought my art materials with me," she stated, scooping the second bite of her dish. "The Central Spice is a very fancy restaurant, and I hope I'm not scratching its reputation or anything."

Joel waved her off. "You really _are_ like my Annie," he commented with a laugh.

Maya smiled in response, having remembered the tale of the one that got away.

"So, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?" Joel queried. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together on his lap.

"I've been busy," Maya answered. "I'm currently the Creative Art Director for NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee for this one benefit concert they're doing in February, and the job's been keeping me occupied. I'm still working with Josh as well. Even though we've been approaching things in baby steps, we're progressing."

"I hope he's not giving you a hard time," Joel responded.

"Oh, he's been good—a little demanding sometimes, but cooperative nonetheless," Maya ventured. "I was actually at his apartment earlier because he thought he lost Sophie's engagement ring."

"Oh, no. Did you find it?"

Maya waved her silverware in a so-so manner. "I didn't see it being _physically_ found, but Josh remembered that he had it stowed in his drawer in his office. He went into panic mode because he forgot that he kept it there."

"Well, I'm glad he remembered where the ring was. Proposing to Sophie wouldn't make sense if he didn't have something shiny to slip on her finger," Joel commented with a jovial laugh.

Maya raised her glass of water as though she was giving a toast. "I can't disagree with that."

A comfortable silence befell the two. Maya finished what remained of her dish as Joel asked for permission to flick through her sketchpad. She gave him her approval, and Joel examined each one of Maya's sketches with captivated eyes.

"I appreciate constructive criticism, so just fire it at me whenever," Maya spoke after she swallowed the last spoonful of her dish.

Joel shook his head. "I only have good things for you, I'm afraid," he responded with a laugh. "You've got talent, Maya. I'm not an artist, but I can tell that you've got quite a spectacular singularity in regards to your quality of work."

Maya's cheeks reddened. She knew she'd never get used to hearing people complimenting her work. "Thank you, Joel. That really means a lot," she remarked with a gratifying smile.

Joel flipped to the last page, where he encountered the drawing he saw earlier. The sketch wasn't finished yet, but he could tell that something like that couldn't have emerged from Maya's creative imagination. It was something that was drawn based from a moment that transpired in real life.

"You know," Joel began, "when I first met you and Josh, I found it hard to ignore this certain air of effortlessness between the two of you."

Maya's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"It doesn't feel like what you two have is a professional relationship. The way the two of you communicate without having to say a word makes it seem like you've known one another for years," Joel explained.

"Well, we _are_ friends now," Maya ventured. "Josh thought we're way past the professional relationship. We've been opening up to each other lately, and we now also share the same group of friends."

"So, the two of you see each other often? On top of working together for his marriage proposal?" Joel questioned, his smile still intact.

Maya nodded. "Yes. Fortunately, I haven't gotten sick of him. He's like that one friend you don't mind seeing every day."

Joel's smile broadened. He gazed at Maya for a while, seemingly attempting to find some undertone in her facial expression. What it was he was looking for, Joel didn't know. "Well, I should get going," he announced after. "It was nice to see you again, Maya."

"You, too," Maya responded. "Thanks for joining me even though you probably had better things to do."

"Nonsense." Joel stood up from his seat, tapping Maya's sketchpad. "When I was looking through your sketches earlier, I found many eye-catching pieces. I'd hang them all up on the walls of my house if you'd permit me to."

"Now I know you're just playing with me," Maya responded, laughing.

Joel's expression turned sincere. "But there is one particular piece that really captured my attention," he declared, jutting his chin at the sketchpad, which he left open on the page where Maya's latest unfinished sketch was on.

With that, Joel left.

A befuddled expression overtook Maya's features as she glanced at the sketch Joel was referring to. Her breath caught in her throat when she recognized what it was that she drew.

She found two people in her sketch: a man and a woman. Although she drew them faceless, Maya knew who they were because she was there when that moment transpired. The man's hunter green winter coat; the woman's navy blue beanie. The man's disheveled brown hair; the woman's long golden locks blowing in the frigid wind. The man's raised arm, a lightning bolt tattoo peeking out from underneath his shirt. The woman's head tilting upwards, like if she had eyes, she would be looking straight at him.

And penciled faintly underneath the subjects' feet were the words: _Better, how?_

Surprised by what she drew, Maya closed her sketchpad and stowed it in her bag. She caught the attention of a passing server and asked for her bill.

From the distance, Joel looked on, a knowing smile plastered on his wrinkled features.

* * *

 **Dun, dun, dun! Looks like Joel senses a little something-something if you know what I mean. Told you he'** **ll come back - and this won't be his last appearance.**

 **Also, did you pick up on the parallel? The MacCallisters leaving Kevin at the airport in a hurry, and Maya forgetting her scarf at Josh's apartment in a hurry?**

 **And like always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	15. The Holiday Rush

**A/N: Since last chapter's author's note was lengthy, I thought I'd keep this one short. I'm happy you all liked Josh's tattoo and Maya's sketch from the last chapter, and that Joel's sensing something else regarding Maya's "feelings." Also, I hope you all remember Maya's mustard scarf that she left at Josh's apartment because it's gonna play an important part in this chapter ;)**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15: The Holiday Rush**_

Topanga's was understaffed.

The temperature outside fell even lower down the negatives, and those hustling to get their Christmas shopping done were in demand of something hot to warm themselves. When Maya saw Auggie struggling to keep up with the influx of customers behind the register, she decided to grab an apron for herself. She knew if she were here, Riley wouldn't have second guessed about assisting.

Maya worked on fixing five mochas, four cappuccinos, three chocolate malts, two strawberry banana milkshakes, and a green tea latte for a huge group of friends that walked into Topanga's ten minutes ago. From alongside her, Auggie had his hands full, tending to the voluminous number of pastries and sandwiches the same group of friends ordered.

The bell above the entrance door jingled, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Maya chanced a quick glance over her shoulder and saw Josh sauntering in. She then turned her attention to the clock above her and noted that it was past five, which meant Josh was done with work.

"Hey, Maya," Josh greeted as he stood off the side of the long line of customers. "Don't tell me you're working here now, too."

Without turning around, Maya answered, "No, I'm not. Topanga's is understaffed today, so I thought I'd help out—at least until the influx lessens." She paused as she topped the last of the chocolate malts with a dollop of whipped cream. "Anyway, what brings you here? I know we don't really have a fixed schedule on when we're meeting to work on your proposal, but did we agree on doing something today?"

"No, but I was hoping you could help me with something," Josh answered.

Maya looked at him apologetically. "Is it important?" she questioned.

"Sort of," Josh replied, his fingers drummed the countertop in an anxious manner. "I also have something I need to tell you, and it's now important for the both of us because . . . well, it concerns you."

"Me?" Maya asked. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she began mixing the other drinks the massive group of friends ordered.

"I think this is a topic we don't want to be talking about while you've got your hands full," Josh noted. "I can wait for you to finish, I don't mind."

"I mean if you're sure, then yeah, I'll join you when I'm done," Maya responded with a smile.

"I'll just be right over there," Josh informed, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. When Maya nodded, he stalked toward a corner table and perched himself comfortably on a chair.

"You look like you could use a hand with that," came a voice from beside Maya.

A breath of relief escaped Maya's lips upon seeing Riley, her hands reaching behind her back as she secured a maroon apron around her waist with a knot. "Yes, please," she replied. "All this running around, fetching different ingredients for these drinks and placing them under the mixers, is a cardio workout in poor disguise."

Riley chuckled. "Please, like you don't enjoy the extra exercise," she taunted. She grabbed the rest of the empty tall glasses Maya had yet to tend to and began mixing the other drinks. Her hands worked quickly, brought on by her years worth of experience mixing malts and milkshakes.

"I take it your presence here means that school is officially on winter break?" Maya queried as she and Riley worked side by side.

Riley smiled. "I love my kids, but this teacher badly needs a break."

" _That_ I can understand."

It was silent between the two best friends after, their own hands busy with the group's gigantic order. Maya snuck a peek over her shoulder at Josh. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw him sitting at his corner table, thumbing through his phone to keep himself occupied. Then, her eyes diverted to Auggie working as fast as he could with the other customers' orders. Helping him was Lucas, whose presence took Maya by surprise. She knew he was a busy man who carried a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, and catching him out of office so early in the day was a miracle.

Minutes had passed and Riley and Maya finished the massive order. Together, they carried the drinks and treats to the group's table, serving each member their correct demands. Once executed, Riley and Maya returned to the counter and admired the look of contentment plastered on each person's faces. They sipped on their drinks and bit into their treats, continuing on with their discussion.

"All right, you can go now," Riley told Maya, dusting her hands on her apron.

Maya's eyes fell on the line of customers still waiting to ring their orders. "Are you sure?" she asked. "It looks like the line isn't gonna diminish anytime soon. More people are still coming in."

Riley glanced at Josh, a knowing smile on her face. "Something tells me it's Romeo o'clock," she teased. "Go ahead, we won't mind."

"We?"

As though summoned, Auggie and Lucas sauntered toward them, holding order tickets in their hands and wearing the goofiest grins on their faces.

"A little birdie told us you've got a special client in your hands right now," Lucas said with a taunting smirk. "Honestly, I feel so betrayed that you didn't tell me about your deal with him when you first introduced us last Thanksgiving."

Maya's eyes snapped toward Riley, who bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing. "Riley!" she cried out, eyes widening.

"I'm sorry, but you know I've got a big mouth," Riley defended.

"Go ahead, Maya," Lucas encouraged.

Auggie nodded. "I might not be well-informed on whatever situation you guys got going on, but it looks like he needs you more than we need you," he supplied before he strutted back toward the register to assist the next customer.

"That wasn't the case a while ago, wasn't it?" Maya countered, lifting a brow at her two friends.

"But that's the case now, isn't it?" Lucas retaliated.

Maya kept her mouth shut, finding herself giving in. She untied her apron and marched toward the back room to hang it on the wall. When she returned, Lucas and Riley were looking at her as though they knew something cheeky that she didn't know of.

"Will you guys stop looking at me like that?" Maya uttered. "You both are so creepy."

"Go get him, Maya," Lucas mocked.

Maya gaped at him. "I feel betrayed, Lucas. I really do."

"That makes us even."

"Go _now_ ," Riley said as she turned Maya around and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her toward Josh's general direction.

"All right, I'm going!" Maya declared, putting her hands up in mock surrender. "Jeez, you two. I see now why you're married to each other."

Lucas and Riley didn't attempt to push more of Maya's buttons after that. As their friend made her way to Josh, the married couple returned to their tasks at hand. Lucas began cleaning up the mess he created when he and Auggie were prepping the sandwiches. Riley, too, was doing the same with the numerous spills she and Maya made.

Maya felt bad that she left her friends with the customers, but Josh _did_ say that he came to her because of something important. She had to remind herself that she should prioritize her job as an event coordinator more than playing pretend barista at Topanga's.

"Hey," Maya greeted the second she arrived at Josh's table. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. If it weren't for Lucas and Riley kicking me out from the behind the counter, you'd probably be waiting for another hour or so."

Josh shook his head. "It's fine. It was no big deal," he responded.

Maya took a seat on the chair opposite him, but as her rear end hit the soft cushion of the seat, Josh pulled her back up to her feet. His grip on her wrist was firm yet gentle.

"What are you doing?" Maya questioned, her eyebrows furrowing together.

"I need your help with something," Josh answered as they exited the coffee shop.

Maya instinctively wrapped her arms around her body as the freezing air welcomed her. She turned to Josh and informed him that she'd run back inside to grab her winter coat. Within a few minutes, Maya rejoined him outside, wearing a thick parka that provided her the warmth she needed.

Josh and Maya began walking, although only one of them knew their destination.

"So, I didn't actually kidnap you today so we can work on Sophie's poem," Josh confessed as turned a corner.

Maya followed after Josh, increasing her pace to match his strides. "Then, what are we doing today?" she questioned.

"We're Christmas shopping," Josh informed with a huge grin like he found that particular activity so exhilarating beyond belief.

"Wait, we're going shopping?" Maya asked, feeling excited herself. "Who are we shopping for?"

"Sophie."

"Ooh, what are you gonna get her?" Maya enthused, nudging Josh's side with her elbow.

"And that's the part where you come in."

"What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Like I said, I want to get something for Sophie, but I'm not entirely sure _what_ to get her," Josh explained. "I figured it'd probably be smart to bring someone that might have an idea on what she might like."

They turned another corner again and soon enough, the tall building with the huge letters spelling 'Manhattan Shopping Mall' on its facade stood a few yards away from them. Shoppers streamed in and out of the building's glass doors, numerous shopping bags hanging from their arms.

"And you decided to bring me," Maya deadpanned.

"I mean, you're a woman, so . . ."

Maya heaved a sigh. "I don't think I'm qualified to help you on this department, Josh. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I understand _all_ the women in the world," she reasoned. "Besides, you know Sophie better than I do. You've known her since you were, like, I don't know—eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Aw, come on. I've told you stories about her, so I think you at least have the slightest bit of idea of what Sophie is like— _and_ you've hung out with her before," Josh argued.

"Yeah, but I only know the things you told me about her and the things _I've_ personally gathered about her. We haven't really bonded the way I do with Riley or with any of my other friends for that matter," Maya retaliated.

The two of them entered the mall and were instantly bombarded with the spirit of Christmas. Everywhere they looked, stores sold shelves upon shelves of Christmas decorations, as well as countless racks of festive sweaters. A holiday playlist blared through the overhead loudspeakers, the melodic tune permeating throughout the entire shopping mall.

"Okay, here's what we'll do then," Josh began as he whisked Maya toward the first clothing store he spotted. "You pick out something—whether it's based on what _I've_ told you about Sophie or it's based on what _you_ know about her—and then we'll see if it's something that she'd like."

"I'm still not pretty convinced that tactic will work, but if you insist," Maya responded with a shrug. If Josh went to her for help, he must really be having a hard time choosing this year's Christmas present for his girlfriend.

"Great!" Josh cheered. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"How about this one?" Maya queried as she produced a royal red maxi dress with sequins decorating the gartered waistline. "I've seen Sophie in red before and the color definitely suits her."

Josh examined the dress before he shook his head in disapproval. "No," he uttered. "It looks like a dress some high school girl would wear to prom."

Maya took her own look at the dress. Her face instantly soured when she realized that Josh's opinion was agreeable. She put the tacky dress back in the rack, thinking that Sophie deserved something classier than that one.

Browsing through the remainder of the rack, Maya pulled out yet another long dress. This time, it was a seductive beige piece that shimmered under the store's bright fluorescent lights. It had a plunging neckline with the front tailored to cover the littlest bit of the breast area while its back meant to cover nothing. Had the flowing skirt of the dress went a tad lower at the back, Sophie's upper intergluteal cleft would be in broad display.

"Ooh, I think you'll like this one, Josh," Maya mocked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

Upon setting his sights on the revealing dress, Josh blanched, eyes widening in horror. "Sophie is not the type to wear that kind of stuff," he informed, attempting to compose himself. "I've seen her wear some daring pieces before, but she's not one to venture toward _that_."

Maya nodded in agreement. "So, no boobs and no butt cracks," she murmured. "Noted."

Putting the sultry dress back to where she found it amongst the selection of potential prom dresses, Maya abandoned the rack and moved on to a different one. Instantly, she recognized that the collection of dresses on the new rack was more expensive-looking, yet it suited Sophie's clothing preferences.

Maya browsed through the first couple pieces until she carried out a sleeved purple amethyst dress. It wasn't as provocative as the beige one she presented a while ago, but it nonetheless had a neckline that showed a little cleavage. Moreover, the back side was covered entirely, which met Sophie's criteria. The upper section of the dress was skin tight; the bottom part was still tight along the hips and the thighs, but it loosened at the knees, yielding the breathable room for Sophie to move her legs around. The dress was classy and overall pleasant to the eyes.

"Josh, look at this one," Maya instructed, holding up the dress by its hanger, obstructing her view of him. She peeked her head around the dress to look at Josh and added, "This color's perfect for Sophie, don't you think?"

"I'm starting to think you have a fetish for long dresses," Josh declared.

"Why?" Maya asked, looking at the length of the purple dress. "What's so wrong about long dresses? They look regal, which supports your thought of Sophie as your princess. Plus, this would look amazing on her! I think the color would compliment her skin tone very well."

Josh inspected the dress, though he didn't feel like it was the _one_ he was looking for. He shook his head, and Maya placed the dress back in the rack with a sigh.

"How about you? I've been showing you dresses after dresses, but you've yet to ask my opinion on one," Maya remarked as her hands kept flicking through the rack.

"How about this one? This looks like something you would wear," Josh mocked, pulling a bright magenta dress from the rack.

Maya placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know where you got the impression that _that_ 'looks like something I would wear,'" she replied with a chuckle. "Really, Josh? Bright magenta? You could do better than that."

Josh laughed. "Seriously, though. I haven't found anything that I like," he answered.

"Well, how about this one?" Maya inquired as she extracted a dress from the rack.

From what Maya could gather as she held the dress against her body, the piece was made of delicate white fabric. Its high neckline and elbow-length sleeves gave the dress its formal look. The waistline was cinched to hug the curves perfectly, and the skirt draped loosely and fell just above the knees.

Josh grew silent as his eyes took in the dress, scrutinizing every part and crevice of the dress where the stitch lines were visible. His eyes moved up and down the dress until it went higher to meet Maya's. He wasn't sure what prompted it, but Josh found himself unable to avert his gaze from her bright blue eyes.

Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Maya cleared her throat, feeling exposed under Josh's stare. The white dress was still pressed against her body when Josh broke free from his trance, shaking his head and breaking the eye contact.

"So?" Maya inquired. "Is this dress the one?"

As though he'd forgotten that Maya was expecting his opinion of the dress, Josh skimmed the piece again and swayed his head. "No," he answered, his voice low. "I like that one, but . . ."

"Sophie wouldn't like it?" Maya supplied, biting her lower lip.

"No," Josh answered. He returned his attention back to the rack he was inspecting.

Maya kept quiet after that. She browsed the remainder of the rack before she moved to another one. As her hand felt the fabric of a black sleeveless turtleneck dress, a thought found its way back to her mind. "Josh?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"You mentioned earlier that you had something important to say that concerns me. What was it?"

Josh's eyes met Maya's as a look of concern passed over his features. Abandoning his rack of dresses, he strode toward where she stood and declared, "Sophie thinks I'm cheating on her."

Maya's eyebrows rose in surprise. "And what led her to think that you are?" she asked, then her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "Oh, my God. Did we blow our cover?"

Shaking his head, Josh pulled out a mustard scarf from his messenger bag and handed it to Maya. "I told her the scarf is yours," he said.

"Oh, no," Maya muttered as she grabbed the scarf from Josh's hand.

"I've been with Sophie for five years. We've fought a lot of times before, but I've never seen her that angry, Maya," Josh said as he slumped down on the nearest bench by the fitting rooms.

"Josh, I am so _so_ sorry," Maya apologized, trailing after Josh. "This is all my fault. I was in a hurry to meet Leigh at the concert venue that I totally forgot that I had a scarf with me. W-what did Sophie say?"

"She saw the scarf on the coat rack and she knew right away that it wasn't hers—and I thought it'd somehow lessen the blow if I'd be honest with her, so I told her that it was yours," Josh answered. "I tried to explain to her that what we were doing in our apartment was innocent, but when Sophie asked what you were doing there, I couldn't say anything. Maya, I couldn't tell her that we were looking for the ring, so she assumed that my silence meant that I was cheating on her with you."

Maya pursed her lips. "Sophie hates me now, doesn't she?"

"I told her not to be angry with you, but I don't think she's gonna let you off," Josh responded. "I mean, you _are_ the woman she thinks I cheated on her with."

Maya toyed with the mustard scarf, her mind racing with ideas on how to fix the misunderstanding. "What if I talk to Sophie?" she suggested. "I feel really bad, Josh. When I took you up as my client, I promised you I'd help you and Sophie get on the road to forever, not . . . _this_."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Maya," Josh replied. "If you were in Sophie's shoes, do you want to see the woman you're boyfriend is 'cheating' on you with?"

"I probably wouldn't, but that's not our case here, Josh. What we have in our hands right now is a misunderstanding. I wouldn't honestly go to Sophie if we don't have an innocent argument to prove."

Josh mulled over what Maya said before he heaved a sigh. He knew it was too early to feel relieved, but he was grateful that something would be done regarding the misunderstanding. "Thank you so much, Maya. You have no idea how much that means to me," he told her.

Maya shrugged as she stalked back to the racks to return the white dress she didn't know she was still holding. "Sophie is the love of your life. How can you possibly propose when your future bride-to-be wants to claw your eyeballs out of their sockets and toss them in a deep fryer?"

"Gee, thanks, Maya," Josh replied.

Turning away from the rack of dresses to look at Josh, Maya emitted an exasperated sigh. "Now that we've got that sorted out, we still have this _other_ problem to solve. I should've thought of this earlier, but I don't think we should be getting a dress for Sophie. She's a _designer_ —she probably tailors her own clothes by now," she noted, abandoning the rack of dresses.

"Then what are we gonna get for her?" Josh queried as he stood up from the bench.

"The first thing that comes to my head is jewelry. Maybe get her a new necklace or a bracelet—"

"Again?" Josh interjected.

Maya placed her hands on her hips. "A woman can never have too many pieces of jewelry, and something about Sophie tells me that she _is_ the type to have lots of them."

"But I already gave her a necklace last year, I can't do that again. That's, like, recycling."

Maya pursed her lips in thought as she followed Josh out of the clothing store. "You know you can always do something for her. Your present doesn't have to be a material, right? Maybe you can take her to a spa trip or take her somewhere else for New Year's! Bake her some cookies, take her skydiving, book a sensual couple's massage for the two of you—at this point I'm just throwing at you whatever comes to my mind!"

Josh's eyebrows furrowed when he recalled a certain memory. "You know what? Sophie _did_ mention something about drinking mai tais out of coconuts before—and many other drinks with tiny umbrellas in them."

"There you go!" Maya said, then paused. "But that sounds like something the two of you should do for your honeymoon. Think of something else, like something that's appropriate for the holiday _and_ our current weather, of course."

Josh chuckled as he and Maya stepped on the escalator.

"While we're Christmas shopping, I might as well do mine," Maya announced, halfway up their trip to the second level. "I've been putting it off since we hit December, but now I actually wanna get it done."

Josh and Maya stepped off the escalator and began walking aimlessly, indecisive about which store they'd hit first.

"Do you have a lot to shop for?" Josh questioned.

"Let's see, I've got Zay, Riley and Lucas, Farkle and Isadora . . . I'll get something for Ava, too, and the Friar, Matthews—Riley's Matthews, not yours—and Babineaux families. Oh, Andrew and Jasmine—can't forget those love birds. And . . . I guess now I'll get you one, too," Maya enumerated, ticking each name on her fingers.

Josh perked a brow. "Aren't you forgetting someone? A _couple_ of people, maybe?"

"I mentioned Andrew and Jasmine, right?" Maya wondered, ignoring Josh's query. She knew who the two individuals he was referring to, but she chose not to acknowledge them, especially if one of them left her while the other was holed up in a center.

Josh nodded, although Andrew and Jasmine weren't the ones he was alluding to. He was talking about Maya's parents. She listed all the people she was buying a Christmas present for, yet she didn't include her parents on that list. As far as Josh knew, Maya hadn't spoken about her father at all. Her mother, he recalled, went away for a while.

"You coming?" Maya asked when she noticed that Josh had fallen behind her.

"Yeah," Josh answered.

As Josh matched his strides with her, he wondered how much of Maya was actually there to discover. What surprised him more was how determined he was to uncover the true story of the woman who'd been so willing to help him selflessly.

* * *

 **Seven words: WE'RE GETTING SO CLOSE TO THE DRAMA. I'm sooooo excited for you guys to get to that part, that's why I've been setting aside time to edit my chapters so I can update every day. The story might seem slow during the previous chapters, but I really want to establish a strong relationship between Josh and Maya. I mean, they were strangers in the first chapter and then they meet and eventually become friends. So when the drama hits, it'll hit them like a sh*t ton of bricks.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	16. Four Weddings and an Invitation

**A/N: Hey, guys! So I was meant to post this yesterday, but I was out with my friends until about 1 in the morning and I just didn't have the time to update. I wouldn't keep you long, though. Here's the sixteenth chapter and I hope you guys will like it. To be honest, I feel a little nervous about this one, especially after hearing your responses in the last chapter. Lastly, I just want to clarify that Josh didn't go straight to Maya after having that "fight" with Sophie. He went Christmas shopping with her the day _after_ the fight happened.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ (1994). It's an amazing movie though, one of my favorites!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16: Four Weddings and an Invitation**_

"Thank you," Maya told her taxi driver as she unloaded the vehicle. She smiled at him before she shut the passenger door closed.

The moment the yellow taxi sped away, Maya turned on her heels and her eyes took in the facade of the Miller Boutique. She heaved a nervous sigh, patting her bag to feel the small painted canvas she brought along with her.

"All right, let's do this for Josh," Maya murmured as she marched toward the entrance. She strode into the boutique, catching Linda's attention from behind the counter. Flashing a cordial smile, Maya made her way to her.

"Hey, Maya," Linda greeted cheerfully. "I guess it's just you today, huh? Normally, Riley would be with you."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, but not today," she noted the obvious.

"So, what can I help you with? Are you looking to get something tailored for you?" Linda queried.

"I actually came here to talk to Sophie," Maya declared, agitatedly drumming her fingers on the counter. "Is she here today?"

"Yes, Sophie is in her office. Do you want me to tell her that you're here?" Linda replied with a smile.

Maya could only nod in response as the moment when she had to face Sophie drew nearer. Although she was innocent, confronting Sophie still made Maya feel anxious because she didn't know the level of anger she was about to face head-on.

With her smile still intact, Linda excused herself as she vanished into the boutique's back room. Not even a minute had passed and she was back with Sophie trailing after her, wearing a blank expression on her face. Linda flashed Maya a solacing smile as she walked back to the counter, leaving the latter alone with Sophie.

"I'm guessing Josh already told you," Sophie uttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I find it impressive that you still have a face to show after what the two of you did behind my back."

Maya noticed Linda's head snapping in their direction, surprised by the discourteousness of Sophie's words. She scrambled away from the counter and assisted the nearest customer, deflecting them from the unpleasant scene that was about to occur.

"Sophie," Maya began as her eyes wandered around the boutique. "I don't think this is the right place to talk about this. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to intimidate you, but you have a reputation to keep up."

Sophie's breath hitched before she took Maya's wrist and pulled her toward her office in the back. The second they were inside, Sophie closed the door, giving the two of them the privacy they needed.

Maya waited until Sophie had situated herself on the edge of her desk, her arms still crossed. With a raise of Sophie's brow, Maya spoke, "Before I say anything else, I just want to let you know that I didn't come here to cause any more trouble—"

"What? Are you here to rub it in my face even more?" Sophie interrupted.

"Sophie, I just want to make things right," Maya argued in a placid tone, dropping her bag on the chair by Sophie's desk. "What we're dealing with right now is all a misunderstanding, but you have to let me explain first."

"Maya, what's there to explain? It's very clear to me that you and Josh are having an affair behind my back!" Sophie exclaimed. " _God_ , that must be it. I knew there was a reason why Josh barely calls when I'm away. He had _you_ to fill my space!"

"Sophie, please just hear me out," Maya begged. "Josh is _not_ cheating on you with me. Yes, it's true that the scarf you found in your apartment is mine, but what Josh and I were doing—I can guarantee you, it was strictly innocent."

"Oh, and what could you _possibly_ be doing there?" Sophie retaliated.

Maya paused for a beat as though she was building momentum. She then looked Sophie sincerely in the eyes and said, "Josh knows I'm an artist, so he asked me to come over to help him with his Christmas present . . . for you."

Sophie straightened from where she sat on the edge of her desk. "What?" she asked.

Maya zipped her bag open and brought out the small painted canvas. It was something that she came up with the night after Josh told her about the misunderstanding. He didn't know she painted the piece, but Maya knew it was what they needed to prove to Sophie that they weren't having an affair behind her back.

"He wanted me to paint this for you," Maya stated as she handed the small painting to Sophie, who gingerly took it from her grasp. "He said it reminded him of a great time in your relationship, and it was one of the moments he treasures the most."

"It's us during my college graduation," Sophie murmured, her eyes taking in the painting. "It's been two years since we got together when this picture was taken. I remember how he kept telling me how proud he was of me, and I realized how lucky I was to have him by my side. Josh had always been so supportive of me . . . even now."

A smile crept up Maya's lips, seeing that the painting did exactly what she had planned it to do. "Josh loves you, Sophie," she declared. "I might not have known him longer than you did, but from the time I've spent with him, I know that he's not one to give up on the people he loves. When he realized he couldn't get through to you, he didn't hesitate to ask for help just so he could fix your relationship."

Sophie grew quiet afterward, thus Maya resolved to continue. "You mean more to Josh than anything or anyone else in this world," she spoke. "I thought you deserved to know that."

With those words out in the open, Maya shouldered her bag and headed for the door. She hadn't even grabbed the door's handle yet when Sophie called her attention. She swiveled around to find Sophie clutching the painting to her chest as though her life depended on it.

"I'm sorry," Sophie apologized. "I'm sorry that I jumped into conclusions. When I asked Josh what you were doing in our apartment, he couldn't say anything . . . and now I know why. I guess it was just . . . I've been with him for so long that I thought I had secured him, you know? So when I saw your scarf at our apartment, the thought that somebody could actually take him away from me scared me so much. It was wrong of me to assume right away that the two of you are having an affair, and for you to come to see me and explain the situation proves that it was what you said it was—a misunderstanding."

Maya nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Apology accepted. Thank you for hearing me out."

"You really _are_ a good friend, Maya. I can see now why Josh keeps you around," Sophie replied with a laugh. She then looked at the painting in her hands again and added, "Listen, I want to make it up to you."

Maya shook her head. "No, you don't have to do that," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Come on, just let me have this one. I feel really bad, Maya."

Sighing, Maya caved in. "All right, what do you have in mind?" she questioned.

"I want to invite you to my family's Christmas party," Sophie uttered with a smile. "I know that we haven't really bonded that much, but I thought that this could be a start. Plus, Josh would be there. This is our chance to bring back the friendly dynamic that we once had before this whole misunderstanding fiasco began."

"Are you sure?" Maya asked. "Wouldn't that make you . . . I don't know, uncomfortable?"

Sophie snickered. "It would only be uncomfortable _if_ there was actually something going on between you and Josh, but we've just established that what you two have is strictly platonic, right?"

"Sophie, I already have someplace else to be for Christmas," Maya informed.

"You don't even have to stay for a long time," Sophie suggested in an endeavor to further convince Maya to accept her invitation. "You can just stay for dinner and after that, how you want to spend the rest of your night is completely up to you."

After hearing that, it took Maya a moment to finally agree to attend the Millers' Christmas party.

* * *

"Wait, so let me get this straight. You said you went to Josh and Sophie's apartment to help him look for the engagement ring he _thought_ he lost, then you accidentally left your scarf there, which made Sophie think that Josh's cheating on her with you. But now everything's all right, and you're invited to have dinner with the Millers on Christmas," Riley summarized from all the way in Maya's small kitchen.

Maya adjusted her position on the couch, grabbing the wool blanket to spread it wider on her legs. It had only been hours since Maya confronted Sophie at the Miller Boutique, but Riley found it incredulous that her best friend had yet to tell her the full story. To make up for that, Riley went to Maya's apartment and demanded that they have a girls' night while watching their favorite 1994 romantic comedy film, _Four Weddings and a Funeral_.

"That's basically everything," Maya replied as Riley cleared her way toward the living room. She perched on the couch, passing over Maya's own bowl of buttered popcorn.

"And you cleared the misunderstanding by giving Sophie a painting of her and Josh? Wow, your artistic skills must be _really_ something." Riley set her own bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and slipped down to the floor. She looked up at Maya and said, "Can you braid my hair? Lucas's taking me out to lunch tomorrow and I want to go for a braid-out look."

Maya took Riley's medium-length brown hair in her hands, the same time Riley reached for the remote control. She pressed the play button and movie started playing.

"I mean, I was surprised that it worked, too," Maya responded. "I knew I was taking a shot in the dark with that painting—and I'm sure Josh and I could've come up with a white lie that would've worked just fine, but what the hell, right? Why not go the extra mile?"

Riley nodded. "It was effective, though. Sophie saw your effort, and she recognized your sincerity."

The two best friends turned back to the television. While watching the numerous production companies the film teamed up with, Riley tapped Maya's knee to grab her attention. "So, I was thinking," she disclosed.

"Uh-oh. What trouble are you gonna get into this time?" Maya mocked. "I thought we decided to leave our mischievous ways in the past?"

"Oh, really? Then how would you explain your meddling with Andrew and Jasmine when we went clubbing with them?" Riley retaliated, an amused expression on her face.

Maya flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Andrew needed a little push, and Jasmine needed a little 'sweeping off her feet' action," she stated.

Riley slapped Maya's knee, which made the latter laugh. "Anyway, so since Christmas is, like, two days away, I was thinking about who's going to host our New Year's party this year," she said. "Farkle and Isadora are flying here to celebrate with us, so they're definitely not an option. How about you? You've got access to your building's rooftop. We can all head out there to watch the fireworks, that'll be cool."

Maya pursed her lips. "I would _,_ but my apartment can only hold about fifteen people," she responded. "It depends on how many people you're going to invite. If it's less than fifteen, then sure, I'll host."

 _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ , the television screen read. The movie title alone emitted a squeal from Riley, who later composed herself to keep her conversation with Maya running.

"I'm thinking it should just be the six of us this year—you, me, Lucas, Zay, Farkle, and Isadora. Absolutely no parents because we already celebrated Thanksgiving with them, so they gotta let us have this one," Riley uttered. She then perked up and added, "Oh! We should invite Josh and Sophie, and Andrew and Jasmine. I mean, we _did_ have a lot of fun the last time we all hung out. That'll be amazing!"

"Yeah, sure. I'll have to check in on Josh and Sophie, though. You know, make sure they haven't made any plans yet," Maya answered.

Riley squealed. "We're all gonna get coupled up—you're with Zay, of course," she taunted. "Speaking of, I don't think you've ever told me before, but how come you and Zay never . . . you know, tried to be romantically involved? I mean, you grew up together, so I'm pretty sure there were feelings that definitely surfaced somewhere along the way."

"Oh, we definitely tried," Maya admitted. "We tried when we were in high school, but eventually, we both decided that it was just too awkward. You should have seen the looks on our mothers' faces when Zay and I told them we're better off as friends than lovers. They had big plans for us— _wedding_ plans. I think our mothers had already planned our future together the moment Zay and I first shared a Lego block."

Riley nodded in understanding. "I guess it's just one of those type of friendships you don't want to ruin by trying to be something more," she commented.

"He's more of like a brother to me, anyway."

The two best friends remained quiet after that. By the movie's four-minute mark, Maya had finished braiding Riley's hair and the latter had returned to her spot on the couch.

" _Fuck iiit_ ," Maya and Riley recited with Hugh Grant's character, Charlie, as he missed his freeway exit on his way to the first of the four weddings he was invited to. They continued to watch the movie in silence. At some point, Riley began reaching into Maya's bowl of popcorn since hers had run out.

"See, _that_ is what teamwork is all about," Maya commented when the wedding ring scene came up. Charlie forgot to bring his friends' wedding rings, thus he turned to his group of friends for help, who didn't hesitate to offer their own pieces of jewelry to act as the temporary wedding rings. "I expect all of you guys to do that for me when I get married—that is _if_ the man I end up marrying has a lazy ass for a best man."

Riley snorted at Maya's remark, though she didn't say anything in response. Maya took that as her cue to keep her commentaries to herself and resume watching the movie.

"Ooh, ooh!" Riley perked up, slapping Maya repeatedly on her shins. "Do this one with me! I'll be Charlie and you'll be the old man."

Maya readjusted herself on the couch to find a more comfortable position as Riley straightened up in preparation for the scene they were about to reenact.

" _How'd you do? My name's Charles_ ," Riley recited along with the character Charlie, employing her best impersonation of an Englishman.

Maya cleared her throat when it was her character's turn to speak. She lowered her voice to imitate the old man that Charlie was conversing with in the scene. " _Don't be ridiculous!_ " she responded, casting on a British accent. " _Charles died twenty years ago!_ "

" _M-must be a different Charles then_ ," Riley said, her eyes trained on the television screen.

" _Are you telling me I don't know my own brother?_ "

" _N-no._ "

"And, end scene!" Maya declared, bowing theatrically before she burst out laughing alongside Riley.

"That scene is golden," Riley commented between fits of laughter. "Oh, that'll never get old."

By the thirty-minute mark of the movie, Maya stood up to get more popcorn. On her way to the kitchen, she noticed Riley had turned her back to the television screen while she muttered how much she disliked the particular scene that was playing out.

Maya extracted two popcorn bags from her stash and placed one inside the microwave.

"So, I want to know. What happens next?" Riley inquired, much to Maya's surprise.

"They sleep together and that bitch Carrie leaves him the morning after," Maya responded, referring to the upcoming scene in the movie.

Riley chuckled. "You really don't like her character, don't you?"

"She's put Charlie through so much heartbreak! I just find it ridiculous that Charlie still chose to be with her in the end when there's Fiona, who's so loyal to him from the first minute they met," Maya asserted.

"Whatever you say, Maya, but that's not my point."

"Then, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The first bag of popcorn finished and Maya cautiously took it out of the microwave. She put in the second bag and waited for the kernels to cook.

"What happens after you finish helping Josh with his marriage proposal to Sophie?" Riley asked.

Maya shrugged, ripping the first bag of popcorn and pouring its contents onto her bowl. "They get engaged, obviously."

"And then what?"

"What do you mean 'and then what?'" Maya queried in confusion.

"What happens after they get engaged? What happens to the two of you? Most importantly, what happens to _you_?" Riley elaborated, her chin resting on the backrest of the couch.

"Okay, first off," Maya began, holding up her index finger. "Josh and Sophie are going to get engaged. Those two love each other so much that the thought of them not being together forever is atrocious. Second, Josh and I will stay friends, of course. We've been opening up to one another about our personal lives, and it's going to suck if we ignored that just because we're done working together."

The microwave beeped and Maya brought out the second bag of popped kernels.

"So, you're saying that when this is all done—all this business with Josh and his marriage proposal to Sophie—you're confident that you won't at least have a _bit_ of feelings developed for him?" Riley asked, an eyebrow perking up.

"And why would I have feelings for Josh?" Maya retaliated. "Riley, I don't know where you're getting all of these crazy ideas from, but you have got to stop throwing them at me."

"Maya, I can't tell you how many chick flicks I've watched throughout my entire life, but I can assure you that _it_ happens all the damn time," Riley remarked. "You know what I'm talking about, right? Every chick flick has a cliché."

"I swear to God," Maya warned.

Riley dismissed her best friend with a roll of her eyes. "Put a man and a woman together in a state of affairs where they are forced to see each other almost every day, learning personal things about one another, and one of them is bound to fall in love! And if they're really lucky, the feelings will end up being mutual."

"See, but that only happens in the movies, Riley. This is the reality where stuff like that doesn't happen on a daily basis," Maya retorted on her way back to the couch, holding the two bowls of popcorn in her hands. "Take Zay and me for instance, or Farkle and I—hell, even Lucas and I, if you will. We've all been friends since college and neither of us has shown romantic interest toward one another. Who says the same thing can't happen with Josh, too?"

"But, you and Zay—"

"Okay, maybe Zay and I had a little something before, but my history with him is different than what I have with Josh," Maya interjected before she threw a popcorn in her mouth.

Riley grabbed the other bowl of popcorn from Maya. "I'm just saying," she declared, shrugging. "But if it happens though, I can't promise I won't be saying 'I told you so.'"

Maya stared at her best friend in disbelief. In the end, she shook her head and turned her full attention back to the movie, where Charlie and his friends were once again late for yet another wedding ceremony. The second of their four.

* * *

"I have a theory," Riley asserted as she watched the scene where Andie McDowell's character, Carrie, married someone else while Charlie stood off to the side, observing the entire ceremony with a trampled heart.

"What?" Maya questioned, grabbing the last handful of popcorn in her bowl.

"Your life has the potential to resemble _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ ," Riley answered. "I mean, I'm not saying that the scenes in the movie _will_ happen to you, but your life could well be another version of it—a modern day one, so to say."

Maya gazed at Riley with questioning eyes. "Huh, and why do you say that?"

"Okay, so you know this scene very well, right? Fiona confesses to Charlie that she'd always loved him from the start, but she couldn't tell him about it sooner because she knows he could only see her as a friend—"

"Ah, good 'ol unrequited love. It kills you like a bullet shot straight through your goddamn heart," Maya mused, shaking her head as she turned her eyes to the screen, just in time to witness the heart-wrenching scene playing out. Fiona lit up a cigarette while she revealed her secret to the man she'd always loved.

"The most vicious kind of love there is," Riley agreed, heaving a saddening sigh afterward. "But anyway, as I was saying: you, Josh, and Sophie can easily be Fiona, Charlie, and Carrie—respectively. Now, we all know that Fiona has feelings for Charlie, but she casts that aside because Charlie's happiness weighs more than her own feelings for him. And so, Charlie and Carrie—or rather Josh and Sophie—end up together, while you're like Fiona—"

"Riley, I'm gonna have to stop you right there," Maya interrupted, laughing. "I think you're forgetting a very, _very_ important detail: Fiona got married to Prince Charles at the end of the movie."

Riley paused for a moment as she recalled how the movie played out in the end. "You're right," she agreed. "Even so, you can still be Fiona."

"As thrilling as the idea of getting married into royalty is, my life will _never_ be like _Four Weddings and a Funeral_. Sure, Josh and Sophie can easily be like Charlie and Carrie, but I can assure you that in my version of this movie, Fiona simply does not exist," Maya stated.

"Well, you never know," Riley argued.

"Trust me, Riley. I didn't exactly cast a Fiona."

"It's probably because it's you, Maya."

"Riley," Maya warned, holding up her index finger.

"But if it happens—"

"You can't promise you won't say 'I told you so.' I know, you already told me that," Maya finished her best friend's sentence.

Riley passed Maya a look that indicated she knew exactly what was bound to happen regarding her best friend's current predicament. Given that Riley stepped out of line for an innumerable amount of time that night, she couldn't deny her gut feeling—the kind that she couldn't suppress.

"You're still coming to my Christmas party, right?" Riley questioned, placing her head on Maya's shoulder.

"I might have to take a detour, but of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

 **I know you all probably hate me for how quickly I fixed the misunderstanding between Josh/Maya/Sophie, but trust me I have bigger plans for the fallout. I didn't want to go on the usual "cheating" route, so . . . there's that.**

 **I still hope you guys liked this one. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	17. The Miller Side of Christmas

**A/N: I have decided to post THREE chapters on the same day because I'll be gone on a trip with my friends starting tomorrow. I won't have time to get on my laptop to update, so I thought I'd hit you all with what's coming. Also, I've made you wait long enough for it, so I thought I'd hand it all to you at the same time. I just wanted to answer all of your questions, but I couldn't do it unless THESE chapters are out.** **Hopefully, now you'll see why I did what I did in regards to Joshaya. Also, I know you found it weird when Maya agreed to go to Sophie's Christmas dinner, but maybe, just maybe, Sophie's testing her? Hmmm.**

 **P.S. The three chapters I'm gonna post are unedited. I don't have time to sit down and edit each chapter today, but I really wanted to get these out for you.**

 **Without further ado, here's Chapter 17.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 17: The Miller Side of Christmas**_

Making sure that she tucked the Christmas present in her purse, Maya trotted down the cement driveway of the Miller residence. She climbed the three steps that led to the porch, pressed the doorbell, and waited for someone to answer the door.

It didn't take long until the door swung open, revealing a very surprised Josh. He held a mug of steaming hot chocolate with floating marshmallows in his hand. "Maya!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Sophie invited me," Maya explained. "Didn't she tell you I was coming?"

Josh opened his mouth to reply, but Sophie cut him off by popping up from behind him. He stepped aside to make room for his girlfriend on the threshold.

"Oops, it must've slipped my mind," Sophie said with a knowing smile on her face.

"Surprise, I guess?" Maya played along, doing the jazz hands.

"Oh, you can _definitely_ consider me surprised. Come on in, it's freezing out there!" Josh replied as he ushered Maya in through the front door and closed it behind her.

When Sophie left to inform her family that they've got company, Josh helped Maya out of her coat and told her to make herself at home. "Everyone's in the kitchen helping Maria with dinner. There's some hot chocolate if you—actually, don't quote me on that. Donnie and Bethany might've drunk them all," he said.

Sophie reappeared, holding two mugs of eggnog in her hands. "The lovebirds _did_ drink all the hot chocolate, so here's Grandma Ruth's eggnog for you," she stated as she handed one of the mugs to Maya. "Maria wanted me to give you her mother's version of eggnog, but my dad figured I shouldn't get you started with something _that_ strong."

Maya took a sip of the eggnog and nodded. "This is really good, Sophie," she commented. "Kudos to your Grandma Ruth."

Sophie laughed before she led Maya to the kitchen where the rest of the family was. "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone," she stated.

Josh trailed after them, cautiously sipping his hot chocolate.

When Sophie and Maya arrived in the kitchen, everyone's heads turned in their direction. Maria, George, and Bethany smiled warmly at the unfamiliar guest, while Donnie's face lit up at the sight of Maya. He left his task at hand and strode over to Maya, pulling her into an embrace.

"Maya!" Donnie exclaimed. "It's good to see you again. Josh didn't tell me he invited you."

"It's nice to see you again, too, Donnie," Maya replied, beaming. "And Josh didn't know I was coming. It was actually your sister who invited me."

Donnie's eyebrows rose. "Oh, so the three of you know each other now? That's amazing!"

"Turns out, this world is actually smaller than we think," Josh commented from behind Maya.

George then introduced himself as Sophie and Donnie's father, while Maria introduced herself as George's fiancée. Bethany followed after them, presenting herself as Donnie's girlfriend and as Filomeno's daughter, too.

"Filomeno? As in _the_ Steven Filomeno of _People's Verse_?" Maya asked incredulously. When Bethany jounced her head yes, Maya turned to Josh and said, "Does Filomeno know that his daughter's dating your girlfriend's younger brother?"

Josh nodded with a laugh. "He found it awkward at first, but he eventually got used to it."

"Is he coming tonight?" Maya questioned, turning her gaze from Bethany to Josh.

Bethany chuckled. "Oh, no. My dad might've gotten used to Donnie and I dating, but that doesn't mean he's going to attend every get-together we invite him to. He said it was because he wanted to keep his work life separated from his personal life," she explained.

"Which basically means that he doesn't want to be 'buddies' with me outside of work," Josh supplied with a laugh.

"Yeah, and the only reason why I get to spend the early hours of Christmas with the Millers is that my dad let Donnie spend Thanksgiving with us," Bethany declared. "My dad might seem scary and intimidating, but he's got a good heart. He just has a . . . a _unique_ way of showing he actually cares about the people in his life."

"And it shows through you," George spoke as he gestured at Bethany with the spatula he held in his hand. "Not only are you smart, but you're kind and compassionate. Mr. Filomeno knows how to properly raise a kid."

Maria piped in from alongside George. "That's also why we know Donnie's in good hands."

Maya smiled at the heartwarming exchange between George, Maria, and the younger couple. It hadn't been long since she found herself in the company of the Millers, but she already felt comfortable.

Sophie clapped her hands together, grabbing everybody's attention. "Now that introductions are done, shall we get this party started?" she queried as her gaze landed particularly on Donnie and Bethany.

"Oh, God, here we go," Josh commented, laughing through the rim of his mug.

Maya turned to look at him with furrowed brows.

"You'll find out soon," Josh told Maya after noting the baffled expression on her face.

"Come on, let's go!" Sophie uttered before she acknowledged her younger brother and his girlfriend. "Donnie, Bethany, you guys coming? We can't play this game without the two undefeated champions for two consecutive years!"

Maria jutted her chin toward the living room. "Go ahead, George and I can handle the rest of the dinner preparation. Just promise you'll both help clean up later," she said.

"Of course!" Donnie and Bethany responded in unison as they sprinted toward the living room.

Josh, Sophie, and Maya followed after the young couple.

"So, what are we playing?" Maya questioned as she caught Donnie and Bethany rearranging the furniture in the living room.

"We're playing the Annual M2F Cornhole Tournament!" Donnie answered.

"The adult _and_ holiday edition!" Bethany added with an impish smirk.

"M2F?" Maya asked, her eyebrows creasing together.

"Miller, Matthews, and Filomeno," Donnie answered. "Stick around long enough and we might add an H for Hart in the title somewhere—M2F into M2FH real quick."

As Josh and Sophie took it upon themselves to move the coffee table off to the side, Josh caught Maya's gaze and said, "Donnie got this cornhole set for Christmas two years ago and ever since then, we've made it a tradition that we'd play together every Christmas."

"Yeah, we vowed to each other to _never_ play cornhole unless it's Christmas," Sophie supplied with a playful roll of her eyes, "which means we aren't allowed to practice playing it for an entire year."

"It sounds ridiculous, but it keeps everyone on the same level of expertise," Josh uttered before he took the last sip of his hot chocolate. He set down his empty mug on the end table nearest to him.

"How do you know that none of you are practicing behind everybody's backs?" Maya queried, placing her own mug of eggnog next to Josh's.

"Donnie and Bethany keep each other in check, while Josh and I do the same," Sophie answered as she removed any fragile decorations at risk of destruction. "Since Donnie and Bethany live in the dorms and Josh and I have our own apartment, Donnie's cornhole set stays here with George and Maria."

Donnie and Bethany ran upstairs to grab the cornhole set. They came bounding down the steps soon enough, each holding four small bean bags and one of the wooden raised platforms.

"So, how exactly do you play the adult and holiday version of cornhole?" Maya asked just as Donnie and Bethany finished placing the two platforms twenty-seven feet apart from each other. "I'm guessing 'adult' means there's alcohol involved?"

"And 'holiday' means that the alcohol is _my_ mother's eggnog," Maria piped in suddenly, holding a glass pitcher of eggnog in one hand and five shot glasses in the other. She also had a water bottle tucked under her arm. After setting the items on the end table where Josh and Maya had placed their mugs down earlier, Maria turned to the group. "Knock yourselves out."

Josh caught Maya inspecting the glass pitcher of eggnog. He sidled up next to her and said, "Maria's mother's eggnog is very generous with the rum. Don't believe anything we say about it being strong unless you've had a taste of it yourself."

Maya chuckled. "What do I have to do to get a taste of it?" she inquired.

"Okay, so we play cornhole a little differently here," Josh began. "We split up into teams of two: red and blue team. Each team will take turns trying to get as many points as they can within five minutes. If the bag lands on the platform and it doesn't slide onto the floor, you only get one point. If the bag lands through the hole, then you get three points. No minuses, no point cancellations. We play ten rounds total, and for each round we finish, whichever team gets the highest points will take shots of the eggnog. Everyone gets drunk pretty fast because the number of shots you take depends on the total score that your team got for that round."

"Except for me," Bethany said. "I always have to drink water for every time I take shots. My dad doesn't appreciate it if I get home _fully_ drunk."

Maya nodded. "The glass pitcher makes sense now— _and_ the water bottle," she said with an excited smile on her face. "Huh, this should be interesting then."

"You have no idea," Josh responded.

After Sophie made sure that everyone understood the rules, the five of them split off into two teams. Sophie volunteered to be the scorekeeper because she wanted to give Maya a chance to play the game. The latter joined Josh behind one of the raised platforms.

"We're the red team, I hope you don't mind," Josh told her, handing her two small red bean bags. "Sophie and I have always been the red team, so I kind of got used to it."

Maya shrugged. "I would've preferred being the blue team, but sure, I guess red would have to do for now," she teased.

Josh laughed.

"All right, let's see who's going to take the first five minutes," Sophie announced from where she stood between the two opposing teams. She held a quarter in her palm. "The right to choose first will favor last year's tournament champion, which is the blue team. Donnie and Bethany, heads or tails?"

"Heads," Donnie and Bethany answered in unison.

Sophie then turned to Josh and Maya. "That makes the two of you tails. All right, let's see who'll kick off this year's tournament," she uttered before she tossed the quarter in the air. After watching it make a few flips, she grabbed the coin and slapped it on her forearm. Gazing at both teams, Sophie removed her hand from her forearm, revealing the winning side of the coin. "Heads it is. Donnie and Bethany, you're up first."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Donnie cheered as he grabbed two blue bean bags.

Josh led Maya off to the side while Bethany made her way behind the other platform, clutching her own two blue bean bags in her hands.

"Blue team, are you ready?" Sophie asked.

"Ready!" Donnie and Bethany yelled simultaneously.

Sophie hovered a finger above the start button on her phone's timer. "Five minutes on the clock, and your timer start . . . now!" she cried out as the timer began counting down.

Bethany took her shot first, her blue bean bag landing on the edge of the hole of Donnie's platform. Donnie followed after, acquiring three points for his team as his bean bag sank through the hole of Bethany's platform. Bethany tossed her second bean bag and scored yet another three points. They went back and forth, taking shot after shot until they found a rhythm.

"Wow, they _are_ good," Maya commented under her breath.

Josh chuckled. "We're only on the first round," he informed. "We've got nine more rounds of _that_."

"And . . . time's up!" Sophie announced the same time her phone blared, signaling that five minutes was up. "Red team, you're up next."

"Wait, you're not going to announce the blue team's score?" Maya interrogated as she took her position behind one of the raised platforms.

Sophie shook her head. "We only announce the scores after each round, so it would be a surprise for everyone. It makes the game more competitive because you can't tell whether you're doing better than the other team or not," she elucidated.

"All right, Maya, are you ready to kick the blue team's ass?" Josh asked her from the other side of the room, juggling his red bean bags back and forth in his hands.

"Of course, I'm determined to break the blue team's streak," Maya responded. "Undefeated champions no more."

Donnie and Bethany's eyebrows rose in amusement.

"We'll see about that, Maya," Donnie challenged with a laugh.

Josh watched the interaction with an astonished glint in his eyes. He felt even more determined to win this year's Annual M2F Cornhole Tournament.

"Five minutes on the clock," Sophie declared as she made sure that both Josh and Maya had taken their positions. "Your timer starts . . . now!"

Josh took the first shot, which he missed completely. He hissed as he watched Maya toss her red bean bag over to his platform. It landed in the middle of the platform, missing the hole by a few inches.

"Josh, remember our strategy!" Sophie cried out after watching him miss yet another shot.

"Hey! You're supposed to be the scorekeeper, not their coach!" Donnie chided.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," Sophie responded, raising her hands in mock surrender.

Maya took her shot and it went right through the hole, acquiring the first three points for the red team. Josh followed after, tossing his red bean bag the way he and Sophie strategized before. Just as he'd expected, the bean bag sank in the hole, earning his team another three points. As their time lessened, Josh found his rhythm while Maya stressed about the ticking clock. After the two three points they'd managed to score, the red team had only acquired the smaller points as their bean bags kept sliding off the platforms and missing the holes.

"Time's up!" Sophie asserted.

Maya squealed as the last red bean bag she tossed went through the hole. She looked at Sophie and asked, "Does that count? I mean, it went in _right_ as you said that our time was up."

"Yeah, that totally counts," Josh answered. "We've encountered this situation numerous times before and George and Maria, our scorekeepers, always count it toward our final score for the round."

Maya placed a hand over her racing heart. "Good," she replied. "Holy cow, we're only on the first round and this game is already too intense."

Josh laughed as Donnie and Bethany mocked Maya, asking her if she could keep up for the next nine rounds.

"Okay, scores are tallied," Sophie declared. "The blue team scored a total of twelve points, while the red team got eight. Donnie and Bethany, you won the first round. Take your eggnog shots."

Donnie and Bethany took their twelve shots of eggnog, splitting the amount between the two of them.

They continued playing while George and Maria still hadn't called them for dinner.

By the fifth round, Josh and Maya claimed victory by a point, and Sophie instructed the red team to take their eggnog shots. Maya made a beeline to the glass pitcher and downed her first shot of the eggnog.

"Jesus!" Maya cried out after the overpowering taste of rum filled her taste buds. "This eggnog's definitely not for lightweights."

Josh guffawed after he swallowed his first shot. "That's why I never let Andrew play this game with us," he asserted. "He'd most likely be out by the second round, assuming that he's on the winning team."

Once Josh and Maya had finished downing the last of their shots, the game continued on to the sixth round. Each team strived to score as many points as possible within a time limit of five minutes, feeling adamant to claim the overall champion of the tournament title.

By the end of the sixth round, Donnie and Bethany triumphed. They garnered seventeen points, which they celebrated by taking seventeen shots of the eggnog. Having won four of the six rounds they'd played, Donnie and Bethany had grown tipsy.

Maya found it incredulous that the young couple still managed to stay on top of their game regardless of their intoxication. "You two are gaining serious and massive respect from me, just so you know," she commented.

Josh and Sophie laughed before the latter announced the start of the seventh round, which the red team would lead since the blue team won the last round.

"Maya, Josh, are you guys ready?" Sophie queried as she prepared to get the timer started.

"Ready!" Maya replied.

Josh nodded in agreement.

The timer started ticking and Josh and Maya took turns tossing the red bean bags. After watching Donnie and Bethany for six successive rounds, they'd picked up on some of the techniques they'd executed. As a result, Josh and Maya found a rhythm that had them scoring full points left and right.

Maya tossed a bean bag and it landed on the edge of the hole, with the half the bean bag sunken in. After Josh had his turn, she tossed her other bean bag and it hit the one hanging on the edge, causing for both bean bags to sink completely.

"Oh, my god, yes!" Josh and Maya cheered the same time Sophie announced that their time was up.

"Holy—that was _amazing_ , red team!" Sophie hollered as a broad smile emerged on her face.

"And the competition intensifies!" Bethany commented. She and Donnie took their positions.

Before the blue team could begin their turn, the doorbell rang, causing the five of them to pause the game.

"That's probably your dad," Sophie whispered to Josh, who nodded in agreement.

Josh went to answer the door. He swung it open to reveal a dignified man with gray hair and wrinkled features.

"Dad," Josh greeted.

"Hey, son," Victor responded as his face lit up at the sight of his son, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He then took in the rearranged set up of the living room. "I see you guys have started your cornhole tournament."

"Yeah. Donnie and Bethany are dominating again, but you and I both know that's old news," Josh said as he took his father's coat from him and hung it on the rack along with everyone else's.

Victor emitted a hearty laugh. He eyed each one of the young adults in the living room, halting when his gaze landed on an unfamiliar blonde. With an affable smile on his face, he addressed Maya. "I don't think we've met before," he noted.

Maya returned his grin. She stepped toward Victor and offered a hand for him to shake. "My name's Maya Hart. I'm friends with Josh and Sophie," she introduced.

Victor shook Maya's hand. "Newly friends, I suppose?"

"Yes, we only met recently," Maya answered.

George and Maria suddenly appeared from the kitchen, both wore a broad grin on their faces.

"I thought I heard you come in," Maria said as she ambled over to Victor to give him a hug.

George clamped a hand on Victor's shoulder after he broke away from Maria's embrace. "I'm glad you could make it. We missed you last Thanksgiving."

"I know, but that's the life of a physician. I have to always be on call," Victor replied.

As George, Victor, and Maria made their way into the kitchen since they had no space in the living room to lounge, the five young adults resumed the cornhole tournament. Donnie and Bethany repositioned themselves behind the platforms and waited until Sophie ordered them to begin.

The rest of the game went on ambitiously, and after the tenth and final round, Donnie and Bethany managed to preserve their title as the Annual M2F Cornhole Tournament undefeated champions.

"So, Maya," Donnie began. He slung an arm across Bethany's shoulders when she parked herself next to him. "I thought you wanted to break our streak?"

Maya rolled of her eyes. "Josh and I just didn't try hard enough is all."

"Come and play with us again next year and we'll see about that."

"Kids! It's time to eat!" Victor called. His booming voice resonated throughout the living room.

Maya grinned. "I accept the challenge, Donnie Miller."

Together with the group, Maya trudged toward the dining table where George, Victor, and Maria waited for them.

* * *

Maya sat on the single seat sofa by the window as the Millers and the Matthews conducted their Secret Santa ceremony. Bethany left after dinner, but Maya decided to stay longer. A loving smile erupted on her face when she watched Victor reveal that he was Maria's Secret Santa.

Maria stood up from the couch to meet Victor by the Christmas tree, caging him in an embrace. When they broke away, she claimed her present from him.

Victor sat back down alongside Josh, draping an arm across his son's shoulders as they both turned to watch Maria open her present from Victor. He got her a scarf, which Maria loved.

Wrapping the scarf around her neck, Maria turned to the Christmas tree and snatched her present wrapped in red and gold. She gazed at everyone as though she was attempting to build suspense regarding who could she have picked from the bunch.

"I'm your Secret Santa . . . Sophie!" Maria announced.

"Finally! I thought nobody picked me," Sophie teased, standing up to hug Maria and retrieve her present from her. She unwrapped her present with quick hands, and soon enough, she was pulling out a silver necklace from the rectangular box. "Maria, this is beautiful!"

Josh caught Maya's gaze from across the room. He pretended to wipe a sweat on his forehead, which made Maya giggle quietly to herself.

"So, before I reveal whom I got a present for, I just want to give a little something to Maya first," Sophie announced as she bent down to grab an elegant red gift bag with gold tissue papers poking from its opening. She handed it to Maya and said, "Merry Christmas."

Maya regarded the gift from Sophie, then she sent a quick questioning glance at Josh, who wore a genuine smile on his face. "Thank you, but you know you didn't have to," she uttered.

"I _wanted_ to get you one," Sophie insisted.

Sensing that she wasn't going to win, Maya accepted the gift and removed the gold tissue papers to reveal a small box. She brought it out and saw that it was a mug. Turning it so she could view the design, a laugh escaped her lips when she read the words printed on it.

"'Painting is my superpower. What's yours?'" Maya read, laughing. "This is wonderful, Sophie. Thank you."

Sophie's expression turned sincere. "You managed to fix a misunderstanding between me and Josh with just your painting, and I think that really says something about what you can do with your talent. So when I saw that mug I knew you have to have it," she explained.

"Thank you. I really love it," Maya said as she wrapped Sophie in a hug. "Now I feel terrible that I didn't get you anything."

Sophie waved her off. "Oh, no. Please, don't bother. I've got a big family; I don't think I'd want one more present."

After Maya thanked Sophie for the third time, the Secret Santa ceremony carried on. Josh was Donnie's Secret Santa, while Donnie was George's, George was Josh's, and Sophie was Victor's. Soon enough, the Christmas tree ran out of presents and wrappers littered the carpeted floor of the living room.

"Merry Christmas, everybody!" Josh declared.

Everyone echoed the greeting.

Maya's phone buzzed with a message from Riley, asking her what time she was coming to her party. She typed a quick reply, just in time for her to see Josh making his way toward her.

"Hey," Josh greeted.

Maya smiled. "I should get going. I promised Riley I'd go to her Christmas party, and now she's wondering where I'm at," she informed.

"Oh, of course! Come on, I'll walk you out."

After Maya had said goodbye to everyone, she retrieved her coat from Josh and allowed him to lead her out the front door.

"Hey, tell Sophie thanks for the invite. I had an amazing time with everyone," Maya said the moment the door closed.

Josh shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "I bet they'll say the same thing about you."

"Your dad's great, too," Maya noted.

"Yeah, he is. He taught me everything I know about life, and I look up to him a lot."

A comfortable silence befell the two. Along with the whizzing sound of the cold breeze, they could hear the vociferous chatters and hollers coming from inside the Miller residence. Josh and Maya turned to the window, where they caught Donnie passing everyone a cup and Maria trailing after him, holding a glass pitcher of hot chocolate.

"Maya," Josh called.

Maya faced him. "Yeah?"

"I, um . . . I got you a present," Josh informed. He extracted a wrapped box from his jacket's inside pocket and handed it to Maya. "I've been wanting to give it to you for a while now, but I couldn't find the right time."

Maya zipped her purse open and pulled out her present for him. "I got you one, too."

With smiles adorning their faces, they exchanged gifts.

"Should I open it now?" Maya questioned.

Josh shook his head. "No, not right now. Not in front of me at least."

"Why not?"

"What if you don't like what I got for you and I have to suffer the torture that is your face when you realize that you got the worst Christmas present ever?" Josh reasoned.

Maya perked a brow. "How can you tell that I wouldn't like it?" she asked.

Josh shrugged in response.

"What if I ended up liking it and you totally missed being front row for the best show that is my face when I realized that I got the best Christmas present ever?" Maya taunted.

Josh smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I _do_ have my doubts, but I have a hunch that you'll actually like what I got for you."

"You're ridiculous," Maya commented with a laugh. "But, sure, I'll open it later."

"I also want to thank you for clearing the misunderstanding between me and Sophie," Josh said, his expression turning sincere. "When you said you'd talk to Sophie, I literally thought you'd just try to reason with her. But, of course, I forgot who I was talking to and didn't remember how above and beyond you're willing to go for your friends' happiness. And I thank you for that, Maya. I appreciate what you did and, well, I appreciate you, too."

Maya smiled fondly at him. "You're welcome," she replied, giving Josh a playful shove. "At least now you know never to underestimate my capabilities, especially when it comes to helping my friends."

"Lesson definitely learned."

After a quick embrace, Josh and Maya bid farewell to each other.

Maya trotted down the driveway while Josh stayed stood on the porch. He watched as Maya hopped in her Uber driver's car and drove out of his sight.

* * *

After Riley's Christmas party ended, Riley offered a guest room for Maya to stay the night in. The latter didn't argue; she had enough fun for one night, and all she wanted to do was plop down on a bed and sleep.

"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. Good night, Maya," Riley said as she shut the door of the guest room closed.

Perching herself on the bed, Maya brought out Josh's present, loosening the silk ribbon and ridding the box of its lid. She saw a lavender envelope resting on top of something wrapped with a pale blue tissue paper. Deciding that she'd unwrap the actual gift later, Maya picked up the lavender envelope and pulled out the card. It wasn't a store-bought Hallmark card that delivered the inevitable printed message inside, but rather it was a simple white cardstock with Josh's handwriting on it.

 _ **Thought this one would look better on you.**_

Setting down the card, Maya unwrapped the pale blue tissue paper to reveal a white dress. She brought it out of the box, and it was after she'd gotten the full view of the dress that her breath hitched. Her eyes widened in disbelief, recalling that it was the same white dress she lingered on when she and Josh went shopping for Sophie's Christmas present.

Maya strode toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the guest room. She placed the white dress against her figure, admiring the way it looked on her as her hands clutched the side of the dress's skirt.

"And I got him a pocket watch. Great."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


	18. The Deed is Done

**A/N: This is the chapter that I've wanted to get out for SO LONG, and now that it's here, I hope you guys will like it.**

 **(Again, unedited).**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 18: The Deed is Done**_

Maya was on the phone with Leigh when she stepped out of Topanga's. She paced back and forth in front of the establishment as she listened intently to Leigh's progress report regarding the benefit concert.

"So, how many bands have we secured so far?" Maya queried.

"Out of the ten I've asked? Four," Leigh answered with a dispirited sigh.

"What about The Monochrome Blond? I thought you said their manager wrote back to you?"

"He did, but because the band will be releasing their debut album sometime around January, he's not sure if he can finalize this gig. The band's got tons of radio shows lined up nationally and promo tours worldwide," Leigh informed. The clicking sound of the keyboard could be heard from her end of the line.

"What if we replace those bands that haven't written back yet with different acts? Like, a stand-up comedian or a magician. People would love that!" Maya suggested.

"That's actually not a terrible idea, but then again, I wanted a benefit _concert_ ," Leigh noted. Sighing, she added, "How about you? You haven't gotten back to me about which band you'd like to see play."

Maya bit her lip. "Yeah, about that. I was going for a well-known band, but considering our current situation with the lineup, I might have to rethink my decision. I have friends that go to pubs where they feature some cover bands, and I'm thinking about looking into them."

"At this point, cover bands would have to do," Leigh responded.

"We can ask them if they're willing to take song requests from the audience," Maya suggested. "That'll create some sort of bonding relationship between the audience and the band. Makes it more intimate, don't you think?"

Leigh gasped. "Oh, my goodness, you are right! We could _so_ do that!"

After discussing the rest of what Leigh had in her agenda, Maya and Leigh bid goodbye to each other and ended their phone call meeting.

Tucking her phone back in her purse, Maya raised an arm to flag an oncoming taxi. But just as the taxi rolled to a stop by the curb, Maya heard someone calling her name. She swiveled to find Josh running toward her.

"Hey, what's up?" Maya questioned as she took in Josh's work clothes. His tie hung loose around in his neck, and his canvas messenger bag was slung across his body.

"I made some progress on the poem," Josh informed, breathing laboriously. "I was hoping you could proofread it."

Maya chanced a quick glance at the taxi driver before she returned her attention to Josh. "I was actually on my way to my studio, but if you don't mind working there, you can come with me," she offered.

Josh nodded. "Yeah, that works fine," he answered. He then gestured at the open passenger door of the taxi and added, "After you."

Maya loaded the taxi and Josh followed after her, shutting the passenger door behind him. After informing the driver of their destination, the taxi rolled away from the curb and onto the bustling streets of New York City they went.

* * *

Maya opened the door to her studio and trotted inside, dropping her bag on the lone sofa she had in the room. She turned at the sound of the door closing and caught Josh taking in the entirety of her studio. He examined the numerous paintings she'd hung on the wall—her favorites, which included the five pieces she did for the Atford Gallery's winter art exhibition—as well as the unfinished projects she'd left lying on the floor.

"I'm sorry about the mess," Maya apologized as she stripped off her winter coat. She hung it on the backrest of the sofa. "I wasn't really in my happiest mood the last time I was here."

Josh shook his head. "No worries. It's an art studio, it's supposed to be messy," he responded before he set down his messenger bag next to Maya's and toured the rest of her studio.

Maya watched as Josh stalked toward the left wing of the studio, where she had a huge splash mat laid out on the floor. There were also several paint trays and rollers cluttering the floor, and buckets of paint in different colors lining the edge of the splash mat. Lastly, looking straight ahead on the left wing wall was an unfinished mural.

"I've been working on that wall for over two years now," Maya informed when she noticed Josh inspecting the mural. She made her way to where he stood and parked herself next to him. "It's one of my on and off projects. Perhaps one day I'll actually get it done, but . . . we'll just leave that as how it is for now."

Josh nodded as his eyes kept examining the wall. "What's it supposed to be?" he questioned.

"Honestly? When I started working on this mural, I intended for it to be a depiction of my brain. It's supposed to showcase my memories, my ambitions, my dreams, my inspirations . . . 'The Safe Haven,' as I meant to call it. I bought this studio after I first sold one of my artworks, and this place was meant to solidify my dream of becoming an artist. I started that mural because I wanted it to commemorate that moment someone understood enough what was going on in my head that they felt the need to buy my piece and keep it with them forever.

"But as time went on, I began to realize that it's constantly changing up here." Maya tapped her index finger on her temple. "The man who bought my piece back then might've understood me, but can he still now? That's why I'm probably never going to finish this mural because nothing in life stays the same."

Josh only hummed in response. He took one last look at the unfinished mural before he crossed over to the right wing of Maya's art studio, where she placed her large drafting table and her small leather sofa. The right side wasn't as cluttered as the left, yet there were still some crumpled paper that could be found on the hardwood floor.

"You're a fully equipped artist," Josh noted with a smile as he ran a hand along the edge of the drafting table. "You've got everything you need around here."

Maya shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, I could use some new paintbrushes . . ."

Josh gestured at a bookcase filled with tin buckets upon tin buckets of unused paintbrushes. "Something tells me you've already got enough to last you a lifetime," he teased.

"I wouldn't say a lifetime. Those brushes would probably last me—oh, I don't know—a year at most?" Maya responded with a chuckle. "Although, I _am_ in need of some new acrylics. I've been needing them for weeks now, but I just don't have the time and energy to run that errand."

"Work keeping you busy?" Josh queried.

Maya put on her dirty smock before she rolled her utility cart next to her wooden stool and easel. "Yeah, Leigh's stressing because we only have about a month before the benefit concert, and we haven't secured our lineup yet nor have we started advertising the event. I have to help her find at least six cover bands that would be willing to fill up those empty slots." She paused for a moment as she uncapped the tube of purple paint and squeezed some onto her palette. "And, of course, I've got you and your marriage proposal case."

"I thought you're the Creative Art Director?" Josh questioned.

Maya nodded as she added a blob of white onto her purple paint and mixed them with her paintbrush, creating a lavender shade. "I still am, but Leigh's officially declared me as her temporary right hand. Sure, she's got a committee behind her, but they've got their own duties to tend to. The benefit concert's a huge event after all," she answered.

"Planning something that big sure ain't a walk in the park," Josh agreed. He strode over to the studio's massive window and fiddled with the speaker dock placed on the sill. Gesturing at the device, he turned to Maya and asked, "May I?"

"Go ahead. I could use some tunes anyway," Maya responded as she dipped her paintbrush on the lavender paint and began dabbing on the canvas, highlighting a woman's blouse on the painting.

Josh turned on the speaker dock and plugged in his phone. He scrolled through his music library, and after making sure that the volume's turned high, he clicked on his chosen song. As the song opened with a lively drum beat followed by the guitars and the tambourine, Josh grinned and bobbed his head to the beat.

Maya couldn't help but laugh when she caught sight of Josh dancing by the window. He moved freely at first, but as soon as he noticed her watching him, he began dancing choreographically as though he belonged in a jazz joint back in the 1920s.

"What are you doing?" Maya asked in between fits of laughter.

"Come on! Swing dancing is better done with a partner," Josh encouraged.

Still laughing, Maya waved him off as she turned back to her painting. "Oh, no. I don't actually have the best feet for dancing, especially _swing_ dancing."

"That's no excuse, anyone can dance!"

"I beg to differ."

When the song reached the slow tempo of the pre-chorus, Josh pulled the paintbrush from Maya's hand and set it down on her utility cart. He hauled her up to her feet, just in time for the song to pick up a fast tempo. Josh executed a flawless Swinging Charleston while Maya attempted to mimic his movements from beside him.

"I'm starting to think you were born in the wrong decade," Maya commented as the song progressed into the second verse. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"My mother loved theatre when I was growing up, and I guess it just rubbed on me," Josh elucidated. "I participated in every single play back in high school, which further encouraged my love for the 1920s. I've even gotten to that point in my life when being a Broadway star became my ultimate goal in life, then something happened and being a journalist became more appealing."

The song continued its fast tempo, and Josh led Maya into a Swinging Charleston once again. He stepped his right foot straight behind him and swung his left arm forward, alternating sides in one seamless and repetitive motion.

Maya imitated his movements. She teetered on her two left feet in the beginning, but as her body became accustomed to the swinging of her arms and the shifting of her weight from one foot to another, she began bopping coordinately to the music as well as with Josh.

Once the instrumental part of the song began, now with the accompaniment of the piano and the harmonica, Josh and Maya danced around the studio, smiling and laughing in the presence of one another. They eventually stopped dancing the Swinging Charleston and went to reach for each other's hands. With their fingers interlocked, Josh and Maya stepped away from one another before they pulled back, their arms outstretched on both sides with Maya's chin hovering over Josh's left shoulder. They stepped away once again, then pulled back. This time, Maya's chin fell on top of Josh's right shoulder. They executed the dance move with a quick pace, slowing only when the song's tempo changed once more.

"I knew you can dance," Josh commented with a smile.

"Probably not as good as you are—or Fred Astaire, for that matter," Maya retaliated, laughing.

The instrumental bridge of the song continued, and so did Josh and Maya's dancing. They ditched their choreographed swing dancing and opted for the modern dance moves instead. Josh attempted the running man move while Maya flung her arms around, dancing dangerously close to the bookcase. She hit one of the tin buckets of paintbrushes with her hand, sending its contents tumbling down to the floor.

When the crashing noises of the fallen tin bucket and paintbrushes permeated the studio, Josh and Maya glanced at one another with panicked expressions. It wasn't long, however, until Maya let out a snort, which prompted Josh's laughter. With the paintbrushes scattered on the floor, the two of them resumed dancing until the song reached its final note.

"Woo!" Josh cheered as his music player switched to the next song on the queue.

"Oh, God," Maya panted with a hand over her chest, feeling the heightened pulsing of her heart. "I think that covers my week's worth of exercise."

Josh laughed as he and Maya collapsed on the sofa a little roughly, causing for Maya's unzipped bag to spill its contents. Uttering a quick apology, he gathered her things and stowed them back inside, pausing when he grabbed ahold of her sketchpad.

"You can look through that if you want. It's not exactly top secret," Maya informed after she caught Josh lingering on the sketchpad.

"Are you sure I'm not gonna come across a ridiculous caricature of me?" Josh taunted.

Shaking her head with a smile, Maya patted Josh's knee and hauled herself up to her feet. "I'm not really one to draw or paint a person's facial features. I like to keep a sense of anonymity in my pieces . . . which reminds me, I have to get back to work."

As Maya began painting again, Josh flipped through the first few pages of Maya's sketchpad. In there he found a variety of sketches. Some of them were locations found within the state of New York. He recognized the scenic view of one of the hiking trails in Finger Lakes, as well as a rooftop view of the Manhattan skyline. Her sketches also include random individuals. There were couples, young and old, sat on a bench or perched on a booth in a restaurant, sharing a milkshake. All of them were faceless, which Maya had explained why earlier.

Josh flipped to a new page and saw a sketch of a faceless old man with one side of his head withering away. Where his facial features would have been were a series of memories sketched side by side, chronicling a love story. On the bottom of the page, Josh found the sketch's title: " _Only the Good Shall Remain_."

"Hey, Maya," Josh called as he turned the sketchpad so that it faced her. "Is this supposed to be Joel?"

Maya turned away from her painting and saw the sketch he was referring to. She nodded and said, "When I heard Joel's story about Annie, I felt inspired and realized that it had potential. I started sketching, and before I knew it, I'm transferring it onto a canvas. Don't worry, I'm not gonna sell this to anyone. Joel deserves this for himself."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Josh commented with a small smile.

When Maya went back to her painting, Josh turned another page and was stopped by what he found. There were two faceless figures yet again, but judging by the man's lightning bolt tattoo and the woman's tilted head, he knew exactly who they were. His brows furrowed, confused not as to why Maya drew them, but the reason behind why she chose that particular moment to sketch.

Maya happened to glimpse at Josh when she reached for a new tube of paint and knew immediately what it was that he saw in her sketchpad. Clearing her throat, she decided to avert his attention from it. She perceived it was better that she spoke first, thus not giving him a chance to ask her why she drew them.

"So, I've been wanting to ask," Maya began while she uncapped the tube of gray paint she grabbed from her utility cart. "You mentioned earlier that you wanted to be a Broadway star, but switched to being a journalist instead. What changed your mind?"

Josh swallowed hard and closed Maya's sketchpad, stowing it back inside her bag. "My mother was killed in a hit-and-run when I was fifteen," he revealed.

"Josh, I'm sorry. I had no idea . . ." Maya trailed off when she caught Josh shaking his head.

"My dad and I were told by the police that the car swerving off the road was no accident," Josh spoke. "My mom was a great person. She didn't have enemies, so my dad and I couldn't figure out why someone wanted to kill her. Further investigation were done, and we found out that, although she wasn't a specified target, a deranged syndicate wanted to send a threat to the police by causing havoc in the city. The hit-and-run was done on purpose, my mom's death wasn't. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Her death was justified eventually, but that accident made me realize that I wanted to do something for those people like my mom—the victims. I concentrated my major on journalism in college, and after I graduated, I got my first job as an investigative journalist. I know that it might sound cowardly, but I only lasted on that job for three months. I've moved on now, but back then, I couldn't accept the fact that she was gone—that she was never coming back. It was only when I had that job that I realized I couldn't do it because every time I clock in for work, it reminded me of what happened to my mom."

Josh finished and heaved a long breath. He'd long gone moved on from his mother's death, and talking about it once in a while now felt like a relief for him. He still ached for her, but it wasn't as painful as how it used to be all those years ago, which made the topic much more bearable to discuss.

"Your tattoo," Maya stated after a moment of silence. "It was your mom who told you not to be afraid of lightning . . . right?"

Josh nodded in response, a forlorn expression on his face.

Maya set aside her paintbrush and took off her smock. She sauntered toward the sofa where Josh was and sat down next to him with a sigh. "I guess it's only proper that I tell you about my mom as well. You've been opening up to me about your family, and after hearing you do it again tonight, I realized that I haven't really let you in on anything about my personal life at all," she stated.

Josh didn't say anything in reply. He simply encouraged Maya to carry on with a nod and a small smile.

"My parents got divorced last January after my mom found out that my dad was having an affair," Maya declared. "She didn't want to know how long it had been going on because she wanted to save her marriage, like how those women did on those drama series she'd been watching. Unfortunately, my dad wasn't as willing to fix the marriage as she was, and he left her for his other woman. I knew my mom was putting on a brave face for me while her lawyer worked out the divorce, but when it was finalized, she lost it. In an attempt to lessen the pain the divorce caused her, she disallowed Tan House Events to accept any wedding events and, in time, she turned to drugs. She let herself go, until it became an addiction. Zay and I tried to talk her out of it, but she didn't listen to us, Josh. I knew that she was hurting—I was, too—but it felt like she didn't care about my feelings at all. And I hated her for it. If she preferred the help of drugs rather than her own daughter's help . . . I decided that I was better off without her."

Josh pursed his lips. "Where is she now?" he asked.

"Zay said she checked herself in at the rehab center. After doing so, she told Zay to convince me to take over Tan House Events while she's away. Managing her business wasn't what I wanted for myself, and yet here we are," Maya responded, followed by a heavy exhale.

Josh's eyebrows creased upon noting a fault within Maya's story. "If you say that your relationship with your mother is broken, why are you still working for Tan House Events? Why not break away from it and create a name for yourself in the art industry, like what you originally wanted to do?" he interrogated.

Maya wavered under Josh's gaze. "Someone has to keep the business running. She's worked so hard to get the company to where it is today, and I don't want to be the one that jeopardizes that," she answered in a low voice. "Besides, I'm still pursuing my dream. It's not like I've abandoned it."

Josh settled for Maya's answer, even though he wanted to refute her statement. Despite what she said regarding what she felt towards her mother, Josh sensed that there was at least a tiny piece of Maya's heart that her mother still occupied. It might be minuscule, but it was there. Perhaps Maya had yet to discover it.

"Anyway," Maya blurted out, cutting the silence that grew between them. "I just realized that we still haven't done that thing you came to see me for."

"What?" Josh queried. He blinked twice as though he just came out of a stupor.

"Your poem," Maya answered. "I thought you wanted me to proofread it?"

"Oh." Josh reached for his bag and took out his leather notebook. He opened it to the page where he used his pencil as a bookmark and passed it over to Maya's awaiting hands. "I'm not sure if they're any good though, so please don't expect a Hemingway."

"And what makes you think that I would, Josh?" Maya taunted, the corner of her lips twitched into a small smirk. "You didn't exactly set the bar high when I read your first draft."

"Hey—"

"I'm _kidding!_ " Maya interjected. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

As Maya busied herself by proofreading Josh's poem, the latter kept his eyes trained on Maya with his brows furrowed in deep thought. He found it intriguing how much she contradicted herself when she told him the story of her mother. Despite her animosity, Maya agreed to temporarily claim her mother's CEO position at Tan House Events, which indicated that she wasn't as ready to break what was left of her relationship with her mother as she thought she was.

Underneath her words, Josh found a smidgen of what he sensed was hope. Maya accepted to work at Tan House Events after her mother checked herself in at the rehab center. She found out that her mother took action to better herself up, and perhaps Maya _hoped_ that once her mother got better, she'd finally acknowledge her pain and start feeling like she had a mother to turn to once again.

It was at that moment Maya reached up to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear that Josh realized something. _This_ was exactly what he was looking for. Andrew was right when he said that it had been under his nose this entire time.

Josh pulled out his phone from his pocket and typed a message to Andrew. He figured his best friend deserved to be the first to know.

 **Josh** — _The deed is done._

 **Andrew** — _What deed?_

 **Josh** — _My subject. I found it_.

* * *

 **AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.**

 ** _Song of the Chapter: Fred Astaire by San Cisco_. This is the song Josh and Maya danced to.**

 **Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


	19. Before Midnight

**A/N: Last update for the next three days. I hope you guys will like it. And I wanted Josh and Sophie to be at Riley's NYE party for a reason. You'll see.**

 **(Unedited).**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19: Before Midnight**_

"Here, put this on. I don't want you messing up your dress," Riley instructed as she tossed Maya an apron.

Maya caught the apron and put it on, securing it with a knot behind her. "Look at you looking out for me," she stated with a loving grin on her face.

Riley chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm only worried about your dress."

"If I was the one wearing that, I'd be cautious, too. It _does_ look expensive," Isadora commented as she stepped in the kitchen to help the two cook the party's dinner. She grabbed the apron Riley handed her and shrugged it on.

"I have your entire closet cataloged in my brain, but I don't recall you owning that dress," Riley noted. "Is that new?"

Maya glanced at her white dress obstructed by the apron she had on. It was the dress that Josh gave her as his Christmas present. She'd never worn it since she'd gotten it, thinking that a dress like that could only be worn on a special occasion. But since they were about to ring in the new year, Maya knew it was the perfect time for the white dress to make its debut.

"It's just something I bought for the occasion," Maya lied, thinking that she shouldn't divulge the truth, considering how opinionated Riley gets when it came to her and Josh.

Riley nodded as she looked Maya up from head to toe. "It _is_ a little different from what your other dresses look like, but I do love it."

"Yeah, it really suits you," Isadora supplied with a smile.

Just then, Isadora's phone blared from the dining table and she hurried to answer the call. "Hey, Farkle. Did you find it?" she queried.

Isadora paused, waiting for Farkle to finish his reply. She then turned to Maya and instructed her to keep an eye on the fondue while she was on the phone. "Farkle, I told you to get the one with the green packaging— _yes_ , it _would_ make a huge difference!" she stated as she stalked away from the kitchen and into the living room.

When Isadora's voice faded out, Maya tended to Isadora's fondue while Riley grabbed four more sticks of washed carrots from the colander in the sink and began peeling off their skins.

"So, I have a friend," Riley abruptly said as she worked on slicing the carrots into thin bite-sized sticks, perfect for dipping on the hummus she and Isadora prepared earlier.

Maya rolled her eyes. "What are you up to this time?" she queried, stirring the fondue continuously to prevent the bottom from sticking to the pot. "And I wanna know if it's good or bad."

"Okay, I know that you said you're not really up for this sort of thing at the moment, but his name is Evan Walters and he's a friend from work. He's also extremely nice and very, _very_ single," Riley informed with a huge grin on her face.

"And?" Maya prodded.

"I invited him tonight."

"Of course, you did," Maya murmured with a sigh.

Riley squealed with excitement before she returned her attention to the other vegetables she'd been instructed to cut into different shapes and sizes. "I promise he won't be like Hunter. Guys like him are officially _out_ of your list of potential lovers," she informed.

Hunter Rollins was the most recent guy Riley set Maya up with. Although the pair got along pretty well, their relationship was short-lived, mainly due to the fact that Hunter was too full of himself. He paraded Maya around like she was some trophy wife of his, and Maya didn't like that she was essentially treated as arm candy. Furthermore, Maya never felt like his affections for her were ever real. He'd always complimented her for her physical beauty, but never acknowledged any of the qualities that made Maya the way she was.

"So, will you please be nice to Evan?" Riley asked, bringing Maya out of her thoughts.

"Who's Evan?" Maya questioned. She'd already forgotten about the set up her best friend planned.

Riley's shoulders sagged. "The guy from my work I'm setting you up with!"

"Oh, sure," Maya responded half-heartedly. "I'll play nice."

Isadora strode back into the kitchen with Zay in tow. "I found help!" she announced.

Zay groaned. "Smackle, did you recruit me to become part of the kitchen crew?" he queried.

"Nope," Isadora answered as she grabbed the huge crate placed in the corner of the kitchen. "You're on decorations duty. And if you happen to stumble upon Lucas, who's suspiciously missing from the picture, tell him that I've assigned him to take care of the rooftop."

Zay saluted. "I'm on it, Smackle."

Isadora chuckled before she grabbed Zay's shoulders and drove him out of the kitchen. "Go, we've only got an hour and a half before the guests start piling in," she informed. Then, she turned to the two women in the kitchen and said, "Now, how are we doing on that fondue?"

* * *

Once all the guests had arrived, everyone gathered in Maya's kitchen for dinner. Since the dining table wasn't spacious enough to fit all ten of them, some of the guests filed in the living room after helping themselves with the food. Maya went back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, making sure she was entertaining each one of her friends.

Maya had just finished having a conversation with Andrew and Jasmine when Riley sidled up next to her, a roguish grin plastered on her face.

"Riley. I thought you set me up with someone, but I don't see an unfamiliar face socializing around in my apartment," Maya uttered as she accepted the flute of champagne Riley offered her.

"That's why I came to see you. I'm here to tell you that he's here," Riley responded just as someone knocked on the door. She told Maya to stay put while she opened the door for Evan.

A man with shaggy brown hair and clean-shaven face appeared on the doorway, a friendly smile plastered on his features and a bottle of wine in his hands. He walked across the threshold after Riley invited him in.

"I'm so glad you could make it," Riley declared, enclosing Evan in a brief embrace.

Evan chuckled. "I'm sorry I had to miss having dinner with everyone, but my family insisted that if I'm going to ring in the new year with some friends, I'd have to have dinner with them," he replied. "You know the Walters, family always comes first."

"Oh, for sure," Maya piped in all of a sudden, catching both Evan and Riley's attention.

Evan raised a brow at the sight of Maya, which Riley didn't neglect to notice.

"Evan, this is my best friend Maya Hart," Riley introduced. "And Maya, this is my friend-slash-colleague, Evan Walters. He teaches geography at Abigail Adams."

"Ah, it's finally nice to meet the woman Riley had been yapping nonstop about for weeks," Evan stated, extending his arm out. "I'd say I'm not entirely surprised. After all the great things Riley told me about you, I expected nothing less."

Maya accepted Evan's hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you—and it's nice to meet you, too, Evan," she uttered before she sent a quick glance at Riley, who was watching the interaction with gleeful eyes.

"I brought you some wine," Evan informed, raising the bottle he held in his hand. "Would you care to show me to the kitchen? This one's best served on room temperature."

Maya nodded, catching on what Evan was implying. "I'm certain my kitchen isn't hard to find in an apartment this small, but of course, I'll show you where it is," she taunted.

When Evan gestured for her to lead the way, Maya swiveled on her heels and trotted toward the kitchen. On her way there, she unintentionally caught Josh's gaze amongst the crowd and saw him watching her and Evan with a blank expression on his face.

* * *

"Okay, listen, this is how the game works," Maya declared as she and Riley stood in front of everyone. She held a dozen plastic spoons in her hands, while Riley held a bowl of dozen eggs. "We're going to split into two teams of five. However, since there are eleven of us in this room, one of us is gonna have to volunteer as the scorekeeper and the game's supervisor."

Maya and Riley looked at their friends expectantly, waiting for one of them to volunteer.

"I'll do it," Lucas announced with a raise of his hand. He strolled to the front after Maya beckoned him.

"All right," Maya stated. "Now that we have a scorekeeper, let's split into two teams."

"A while ago, we passed around a fedora hat and we had you pick out a slip of paper. That is to determine which team you'll fall into," Riley explained. "So, let's all unfurl it at the same time and once that's done, go ahead and meet with your team."

Maya unfurled her slip of paper and discovered that she belonged to Team 2. After asking around, she learned that she was on the same team as Andrew, Sophie, Evan, and Zay. The rest fell under Team 1, which consisted of Josh, Jasmine, Riley, Isadora, and Farkle.

Maya and Riley returned to the front of the room where Lucas held the plastic spoons and the bowl of dozen eggs in his arms. The rest of the group lined up as Riley had instructed.

"Now that the teams have been figured out, the game we're going to play is called 'Pass Me the Egg.' I know it's not the most creative name around, but we'll just have to deal with it," Maya said, which earned a few chuckles from the group. "So, each team member will get a plastic spoon, but there will only be one egg per team. You'll hold the spoon with the egg on it in your mouth, then you'll walk until you reach Lucas, turn around, walk back to your line, and carefully pass the egg to the next team member _without_ using your hands."

Riley nodded along. "And if the egg falls—doesn't matter if it falls while you're passing it to your team member, you'll have to restart _your_ turn," she added. "The first team that goes through all the members wins."

Andrew, Josh, and Farkle bounced on their feet, pumping themselves up for the game. At the same time, Maya, Lucas, and Riley handed out the plastic spoons to each team member. When Maya reached Farkle, she had a huge smile on her face while she passed him a plastic spoon.

"Good luck," Maya whispered as she chanced a quick look at Isadora, who stood behind Farkle, making her the last member of the team in line.

Farkle's grin widened as he wiggled his eyebrows.

In order to not look suspicious, Maya left Farkle's side and trudged back to where her team was lined up, making sure that she'd grabbed a plastic spoon for herself. She looked at the other team and saw that Riley had claimed the leader position as well, standing at the front of the line.

Lucas walked up to the two team leaders and handed each an egg.

"Are you guys ready?" Lucas questioned after he'd returned to the front of the room.

Everyone shouted their responses. "Ready!"

Maya placed her plastic spoon between her lips, then carefully dropped the egg on the oval head of the spoon. From the corner of her eye, Maya saw Riley tying the skirt of her maxi dress so that it rid higher up her legs, preventing herself from tripping on its hem during the game.

Lucas eyed the two players who were going to kick off the game. "Maya, Riley, are you two ready?"

Maya and Riley could only give Lucas a thumb-up in response.

"And . . . go!"

Maya and Riley moved as soon as Lucas gave them the signal.

With her eyes trained on the egg, Maya slowly padded her way to Lucas. Once she reached him, she turned around and walked back to her team.

Evan was next in line. Maya grabbed onto his shoulders to steady him as she cautiously slid the egg on his spoon. Once that was executed, Maya cheered for Evan before she made her way to the end of the line, where Zay gave her a high-five.

Riley reached her team, motioning Josh to squat down to her level. The same as Maya, Riley grabbed onto his shoulders as she passed the egg to his spoon. Straightening up, Josh began walking toward Lucas. His pace was a lot faster than Riley's, eager to catch up to Zay, who was already halfway to where Lucas stood.

Josh and Evan turned when they both reached Evan at the same time, their eyes trained on the eggs as they ambled back to their next team member in line.

The atmosphere in Maya's living room grew rambunctious as everyone cheered for their own team, screaming at the top of their lungs when a battle between two team members became too intense.

Josh passed the egg onto Jasmine's spoon the same time Evan transferred his to Sophie's.

"I'm tempted to cheer for my girlfriend, but you're on my team so, go Sophie! I believe in you— _Team 2_ believes in you!" Andrew cheered, stepping forward once Sophie had begun her walk toward Lucas.

Josh laughed from his side of the team, reaching over to give Andrew's shoulder a light shove. "Go cheer for my girlfriend, and I'll cheer for yours," he stated before he claimed his spot at the end of the line. "Yeah, go Jasmine!"

The battle between Sophie and Jasmine was neck-in-neck. Both women had the same pace as they dawdled back to their respective teams. Ultimately, Sophie reached her team first with Jasmine falling behind by only a couple inches.

"It's okay, baby! It's just a game!" Andrew reassured Jasmine while she worked on sliding the egg onto Farkle's spoon.

"Andrew, focus!" Sophie chided through gritted teeth as she still held her plastic spoon between her lips. After Andrew recomposed himself, Sophie carefully placed the egg on Andrew's spoon, wishing him good luck before she trudged to the end of the line.

Farkle had already begun walking toward Lucas, placing Team 1 on the lead. He eventually reached Lucas and, as cautious as he could muster, he turned and made his way back to his team. He made it to Isadora, the last member of Team 1 who hadn't gone yet, but Farkle dropped the egg just as he was transferring it onto her spoon.

"Farkle, no!" Isadora screamed, placing a hand on her forehead. "We were on the lead!"

"Rules are rules, Minkus! Start over!" Maya exclaimed as she ambled toward Isadora and Farkle.

Lucas appeared at Maya's side, already handing out an egg to replace the one Farkle dropped.

Farkle grabbed the egg from Lucas, and with a subtle wink at his two friends, he restarted his turn. Andrew had already passed Team 2's egg onto Zay's spoon when Farkle found himself walking back to his team.

"Come on, Farkle!" Isadora cheered from the front of the line.

Farkle reached Isadora in no time. However, for the second time around, he dropped the egg.

"Farkle, not again!"

With an alarmed expression on her face, Isadora looked down at the second fallen egg. Her look of panic was immediately replaced with one of confusion when she didn't find the second egg yolk on the living room floor. What she saw instead were a plastic egg broken in half and a glinting diamond ring.

Farkle retrieved the ring from the floor and knelt on one knee in front of Isadora.

"Farkle?" Isadora queried, heart racing.

"Oh, my God," Riley whispered from somewhere among the group that had gathered around the couple.

"Isadora Smackle," Farkle began as he kept his gaze on Isadora's widened eyes. "Remember the first time we met back in college? We didn't exactly get along in the beginning because I was too full of myself, and you were too ethical to put up with any of my shit."

"Leave it to Farkle to use the word 'shit' in his proposal speech," Zay whispered, which made Maya and Riley giggle.

"Eventually, thanks to Maya and Riley for befriending you, we started hanging out with the same group," Farkle continued, paying no attention to Zay's commentary. "Much to my luck, it happened around the time when everybody suddenly had their own businesses to tend to. Riley joined the student government, Maya took on that internship at the museum, and Zay and Lucas got involved with a fraternity. You and I were left alone, and that was when I had the chance to really get to know you. And you, Isadora, is the most remarkable woman I've ever met in my entire life. You're smart, resourceful, compassionate, and even though I know I still get on your nerves sometimes, you now put up with it. I wake up next to you every day and I just want you to know that I'll never tire of it, especially when I see nothing but love in your eyes every time you look at me."

When Farkle paused to take a breath, everyone in the group held their own as they waited for him to ask the most anticipated question.

"So . . . Isadora Smackle, will you do the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes!" Isadora exclaimed as tears of joy brimmed her eyes. "Yes, Farkle! I'd love to be your wife!"

Farkle slipped the diamond ring onto Isadora's finger, and everyone in the group let out the breath they'd been holding since Farkle asked for Isadora's hand in marriage.

As everyone gathered around the newly engaged couple to congratulate them, Josh sidled up next to Maya. He placed his lips near her ear and whispered, "Really? It was _that_ easy?"

Maya patted Josh's cheek. "Don't worry, not everyone has it as easy as Farkle," she reassured.

"Hey—"

"I'm just saying."

* * *

After she found her moment to congratulate Farkle and Isadora on their engagement without the rest of the group milling around them, Maya excused herself to fetch another drink from the kitchen. Once she got there, she opened the refrigerator and snagged the last of the apple ales.

As she went to uncap her drink, Maya glimpsed Sophie taking a closer look at Isadora's engagement ring, eyes glinting as she admired the size of the stone. Josh stood next to the two women, downing his beer while he listened to his girlfriend talk wedding plans with Isadora. A smile broke out on Maya's face, thinking that Sophie didn't know what was coming for her in the near future.

Maya was about to rejoin her friends in the living room when she suddenly heard Zay and Riley's voice from the hallway that led to her bedroom. With furrowed brows, Maya inched closer until her two friends' voices were no longer faint. She pressed herself against the wall and listened in on the conversation.

"How's Katy holding up?" Riley queried.

Zay heaved an exasperated sigh. "She could've been here with us, you know?" he answered. "But even if she was well and capable of handling herself, Katy knows Maya still wouldn't want her to be anywhere near her."

Riley didn't say anything in response, thus Zay carried on.

"Maya's just being too stubborn about the whole situation. I haven't told Maya about it yet, but I've been visiting Katy at the center every day. I've been checking up on her, and also to let her know that her daughter's doing fine and that she shouldn't worry about her." Zay paused for a beat. "Riley, Katy is really _trying_. I just wish that Maya would see what I see. Katy was the one who realized her own mistakes. Katy was the one who asked me to admit her into the center because she wants to get better for Maya. Her hope and strength are still driven by her love for Maya."

Maya's heart raced as she continued to listen to Zay. His last statement repeated itself over and over in her head that she failed to hear Riley's response. She only regained her focus when Zay's voice rang in her ears once again.

"It's like the three of us are on the edge of a cliff, you know?" Zay uttered. "Katy's life is on the brink of toppling down to the rocky bottom and I'm holding onto one of her hands, trying to keep her from completely losing herself. But even so, I'm not strong enough to do that on my own. I've got my own personal problems to deal with, too—I've got my own family. I want Maya to realize that I need her help. I need her to grab Katy's other hand and help me pull her back to the ground—back to her true self."

Knowing that she couldn't handle hearing any more of the conversation, Maya left her hiding place and decided she needed to get some air. As she went to grab her coat from the rack, Isadora caught Maya by the elbow, stopping her before she could even shrug on her coat.

"Where are you going?" Isadora asked, eyebrows creasing together with worry.

"I just need to get some air," Maya answered.

"Are you okay?"

Maya nodded, forcing a smile to ease some of Isadora's worries. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'll just be up on the roof."

Isadora's grip on Maya's elbow loosened, allowing the latter to slip through the front door.

* * *

The frigid December breeze stung her skin the moment Maya stepped out of her apartment building's rooftop. Ignoring the beauty of the decorative lights that Lucas put up earlier, Maya strode toward the brick railing and gazed at the twinkling skyline of Manhattan.

All alone, Maya reflected on Zay and Riley's conversation she overheard a while ago. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she fought to keep them from rolling down her cheeks.

Growing up, Maya never saw her mother without a smile on her face. Katy was the epitome of gaiety and was always enthusiastic about everything she set out to do. She had a great outlook on life, and not once did she ever forget to remind Maya to always see the positive side of every situation. To Maya, Katy's vivacity and optimism were what made her mother strong. And Maya admired her for it.

Then, her father's affair happened, and not long after followed the divorce. As much as Katy attempted to stay strong, Maya knew it devastated her mother. When she received the news that the court granted the divorce, Katy's shining personality dimmed. She was no longer the cheerful mother Maya grew up knowing. The sudden change terrified Maya because she grew up believing that her mother was immune to sadness, but now that her usual smiles and crinkling lines were gone, Maya wasn't sure what to do.

Allowing her tears to finally roll down her cheeks, Maya realized she was angry not with her mother but with herself. After her father left, Maya was Katy's first source of comfort, and she failed her. What she did instead was turn her back on Katy the first moment the latter refused her help, which set the path for Katy's drug addiction.

Gripping the brick railing so hard that her knuckles turned white, Maya screamed all her frustrations out. She'd built walls around everything she felt toward her mother, and when those walls crumbled down, her emotions consumed her like a hundred-foot tidal wave would a whole city. Her knees weakened, and Maya held onto the brick railing to keep herself upright.

It was after her tears subsided that Maya heard the sound of the rooftop door opening. She didn't bother to turn around, knowing well enough that it was Riley who came to see her. The latter had an intrinsic tendency to provide emotional support for friends who need it most, and Maya had always known that it was only gonna be a matter of time before Riley learned her whereabouts.

However, the person who stood beside her wasn't Riley. The familiar masculine scent that wafted up her nose was enough to indicate Josh's presence.

"You shouldn't be out here, it's cold," Maya said as she watched him lean on the brick railing.

"I could say the same to you," Josh replied, laughing.

Maya's hand reflexively shot up to her chest, where she felt her heartbeat quickening like it wanted to bust out of its cage. Her brows furrowed, finding the suddenness of her action bemusing. She liked to assume that her racing heart was caused by the emotional outburst she experienced a while ago, but a certain tugging feeling down her gut made her think otherwise.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Josh asked, breaking the silence. "Was the party a little too much for you?"

"Kind of," Maya answered in a low voice. "You saw what it's like back there: two of my best friends got engaged to each other, and Riley set me up with someone that I'm not really interested in. I mean, I'm sure Evan's a great guy, but . . . I just don't see myself with him at all."

Josh's gaze fell at the mention of Evan's name. "He's wondering where you are, you know?"

Maya let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I bet," she responded. "Did Isadora tell him I'm up here?"

"She told him you're in the bathroom."

"You didn't believe her."

Josh shook his head. "I saw you leave the party, then I saw how concerned Isadora looked after you left, and . . . it didn't take me long to figure out that something's going on with you," he responded. "So, I followed you, thinking you might want some company."

Maya pursed her lips, passing Josh a quick glance. "I'm fine, Josh, I just . . . I just wanted to escape the party for a while," she told him.

As Maya's gaze focused on the Manhattan skyline, Josh kept his trained on her. It felt weird for him to see Maya without a smile on her face that he wanted nothing more than to bring it back. He nudged her on her side, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile.

"Hey, I know I'm early, but I wanted to be the first," Josh said.

Maya's eyes snapped up to meet his. "The first to what?" she asked.

"To greet you a happy new year," Josh answered.

A small smile broke out on Maya's face, but she bit her lip when she felt it widening. She turned back to viewing the flickering city lights before she could find herself wavering under Josh's intense stare.

"Wait, no one's greeted you yet, right?" Josh questioned.

Maya shook her head. "No," she responded. "I think Riley wanted to be the first, but she's not actually around to tell me that."

A silence grew between the two of them, causing Maya's thoughts to drift back to Katy. She sucked in a deep breath, then let it out in a series of controlled exhalation. Zay taught her that calming method when Katy first lost it, and Maya had utilized it ever since.

Josh inched closer, noting that the effect of his attempt to bring the smile back on Maya's face didn't last long. He kept his gaze on her as he wondered how someone so doting and generous could hold so much brokenness in her kind blue eyes.

"I understand your need to escape," Josh blurted out, which caused Maya to turn her attention back to him. "We all need those once in a while."

Maya bit her lip in thought. She wanted to escape, but she wasn't doing it in a way that she wanted to. The rooftop proved a good setting for her to scream her frustrations out, but there was only one place where she knew she'd be able to truly clear her mind.

"What time is it?" Maya asked.

Josh glanced at his wristwatch. "It's 10:52. Why?"

"I won't take long," Maya replied as she began walking toward the door that led back inside the building. "I should be back before midnight, I promise."

Josh trailed after her, his eyebrows creasing together. "Where are you going?"

"To my studio," Maya answered. She hurried down the staircase, a hand on the railing to prevent herself from tripping over her own feet. "If Riley comes looking for me, tell her I'm worried I left something on at the Tan House offices and I just need to make sure the building isn't on fire."

They reached the elevator and Maya pressed the down arrow button. The elevator doors opened with a ding.

"I'll come with you," Josh suggested, stepping to follow Maya inside the elevator.

Maya placed a hand on his chest, stopping the elevator doors from closing and stopping him from walking any further. "Josh, no. Sophie will come looking for you. We already had that misunderstanding about why my scarf was at your apartment. I don't want her to start thinking that there really _is_ something going on between us."

Josh exhaled in defeat as Maya drew her hand back to her side. He stepped away from the elevator, watching as the metallic doors closed on her.

* * *

 **Okay, I know Evan was "Riley's" in the show, but that's the reason why Riley's matchmaking will never work.**

 **Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


	20. New Year's Realization

**A/N: GUESS WHO'S BAAAACK? I read through all your reviews on my drive back home, and I honestly couldn't wait to publish this chapter. Your "theories" were all so fun to read because all I could ever think about was "HM-MMM, you all don't know what's coming!" And I know you noticed that Josh hadn't commented on Maya's dress, but maybe you'll get to see that in this chapter? You never know!**

 **This one is a short chapter, but I did that on purpose. I didn't want this particular moment to be overshadowed by any other scenes, so I figured it deserved its own chapter. I did give you three chapters before I left for my trip, so that should be enough to compensate for this chapter's length? Just kidding! I hope you guys enjoy this one.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 20: New Year's Realization**_

"I told you not to come here."

Josh stood outside of Maya's studio, his chest heaving up and down from running up the stairs. After Maya had told him not to come with her, he couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to follow after her. Josh didn't tell her about it, but he had heard her crying on the rooftop. He got there minutes before Maya broke apart, and although he wanted nothing more than for her to feel better, Josh stayed put and resolved to give Maya the space he knew she needed.

But he'd given her enough space on the rooftop. Maya needed someone and Josh knew he could be that someone for her.

"You came here to escape, I'm here to help you escape," Josh stated, a hand on the door to prevent Maya from closing it on him.

"Josh—"

"Maya, I'm here for you," Josh interjected. "You know that, right?"

Maya pursed her lips, eyes glazing over Josh's worried ones. After a minute of silence, she nodded and asked, "What about Sophie?"

"Filomeno's having an NYE party for his employees and I told Sophie I'm going to make a quick appearance," Josh replied, shrugging. "Although I might not actually be that quick. Filomeno doesn't like it when a guest leaves before the countdown begins."

"Josh, I don't want you lying to Sophie. Haven't I made that clear enough for you?" Maya said with an exasperated sigh.

Josh laughed. "First of all, there actually _is_ an NYE party for PV's employees, and I _do_ plan on making an appearance—after the countdown at least. I want Filomeno to know that I'm someone he can't get rid off easily. Second of all, this won't be the first time Sophie and I are spending New Year's apart," he responded.

Maya grew silent once again as she kept her eyes trained on Josh. He'd always had a thing for intense eye contact, which was something Maya became used to. She perceived it as one of the ways he communicated with someone, and as he towered over her on the threshold, his stare emitted nothing but genuine concern for her.

"Fine. Come on in," Maya murmured, opening the door wider for Josh to step through.

Josh yielded her a smile as he invited himself further into Maya's studio. With a quick survey of his surroundings, he discovered that Maya hadn't brought out her materials yet. He _did_ leave right after she did, thus the time difference between his and her arrival at the studio wasn't that large.

As Maya put away her bag and her coat, Josh took it upon himself to set up her station. He placed a blank canvas on the wooden easel and rolled her utility cart next to the stool. He also grabbed a few clean paintbrushes from her bookcase and set it down alongside her palette. When Josh finished, he turned to look at Maya, who stood with her back to him.

"Wow," Josh ventured, which caused Maya to swiftly turn around.

"What?" Maya asked, alarmed.

Josh shook his head. "Nothing, I-I-I just . . ." he trailed off. His hand reached up to rub the back of his neck as his eyes attempted to subtly look at Maya from head to toe. When his eyes caught Maya's gaze, he saw her with an eyebrow perked up in a questioning manner.

"What?" Maya prodded.

"You look amazing. That dress . . . I told you you'd look better in it."

Maya's gaze fell to her feet as she felt a sudden warmness creeping up her cheeks. "Thanks," she mumbled. "How did you know I liked this one, though?"

Josh shrugged. "I'm way more observant than you give me credit for, Maya," he answered.

"Well, then . . . thanks for the dress and I guess the compliment, too."

Josh grinned at Maya. He then gestured at the workstation he prepared for her. "I got your station set up already, so . . . go ahead and escape," he said.

Nodding, Maya ambled toward her workstation.

"Maya?" Josh called.

Maya turned and quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Don't stray too far, okay? Come back to me."

"Okay," Maya mumbled with a small, reassuring smile on her face.

Josh situated himself on the couch and watched as Maya adorned her stained smock. She picked up a tube of brown paint and squeezed a reasonable amount on her palette. Sitting down on the wooden stool, Maya grabbed a clean paintbrush and coated its bristles with brown paint. However, as she prepared herself to start painting, she paused, the paintbrush hovering just above the blank canvas.

Maya's brows furrowed, finding her own actions bemusing. Normally, the second she coated her paintbrush with a particular color, the image she had in mind would smoothly materialize on the canvas. She knew she had something _specific_ in mind, but she just couldn't find a way to perfectly translate that onto the canvas.

Attempting to secretly snap pictures of Maya for the story he planned to do regarding her, Josh noticed Maya's worried expression through his phone camera's lens. "What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his phone.

"I can't paint," Maya answered with an infuriated sigh. She threw her paintbrush on the utility cart placed beside her.

"Come on, I'm sure you have something," Josh encouraged.

Maya shook her head. "I got nothing."

Josh stood up from the couch and strode over to Maya. "You said you wanted to escape . . . what do you usually paint when you're trying to do that?" he interrogated.

"I just paint whatever I'm feeling," Maya responded, moving her hands animatedly. "I let go of whatever it is that's making me feel like I'm locked up in my own emotions."

"Then do that," Josh stated.

"I can't, Josh. It's been like this for a week now."

"And why is that?"

"Because!" Maya snapped, which didn't surprise Josh at all. He'd been expecting her outburst since he arrived in her studio; it was only a matter of _when_ it was going to happen. "I'm feeling everything and nothing at once! How do you exactly paint something like that?"

Keeping a cool and collected demeanor to balance out Maya's unstrung behavior, Josh gripped the paintbrush she threw a while ago and handed it back to her. She made no move to take it from him, thus he grabbed her hand and made her wrap her own fingers around the paintbrush.

"Paint," Josh instructed.

"I _can't_ , Josh! Which part of that do you not understand?" Maya exclaimed, shooting up from her stool and breaking Josh's hold on her fist.

Refusing to give up, Josh breathed in heavily. "What happened tonight, Maya? Why do you need to escape?" he questioned, following Maya with his eyes as she paced back and forth by the studio's windows.

After hearing Josh's query, Maya sat back down on the stool, her chest still heaving up and down. It surprised her how little hesitation she felt when Josh asked her about what happened. She usually talked to Zay about her mother issues, but being in the studio alone with Josh, there was something in the atmosphere that urged her to open up to him. Perhaps it was the privacy of the studio, or it was brought on by the intimacy of the moment.

"I realized how much of a coward I really am," Maya confessed in a low whisper.

Josh grabbed the stool from Maya's drafting table and positioned himself alongside her. He wanted nothing more than to disagree because he knew Maya was a far cry from being a coward, but he wanted to hear what she had to say. He knew it was better to put himself in her shoes rather than patronize her in her most vulnerable state.

"And why would you say that?" Josh asked. "What did you do to make you think of yourself as a coward?"

Subconsciously, Maya dipped her paintbrush again on the palette again, coating the bristles with a dark brown color. A knowing smile crept up Josh's lips, which went unnoticed by Maya.

"For all those times I've avoided my mother, I didn't know I was putting her through more suffering," Maya explained as she began stroking lines on the blank canvas. "All that I ever thought of was myself. All I ever thought of was how angry I was at her for not acknowledging my pain—or my help for that matter. All I ever thought of was getting myself away from her because she couldn't be the mother I'd always known her to be. I let my feelings get the best of me and I ran away, without so much as trying to fight harder for her."

As Maya rambled on about her feelings, Josh noticed how vigorous her strokes had become. The strong material of the canvas dipped every time the brush came in contact with it.

"And now I only made everything worse," Maya continued, dipping a different brush on the blob of blue paint before returning to torturing her canvas with angry strokes. "Zay said that she's in rehab because she wants to get better for me, but she wouldn't be there at all had I been there in the first place to prevent all this from happening. I could've made a difference, but instead, all I ever did was get scared and run away!"

Josh remained tight-lipped, knowing for a fact that Maya still had more pent-up words left in her.

"Now I'm hurting Zay, too!" Maya exclaimed, standing up from her stool. "He's the one person who makes me feel like I actually deserve to be cared for after what I've done with my mom. He's the one person who treats me like his own family since we were kids, and what did I do to repay all that? _I'm_ killing him! By refusing to make amends with my mom, the woman whom he treats as his second mother, I'm killing him! All her ever wanted was to see us together again, but I'm not exactly making that an easy task for him. And the worst part is, I didn't even know I was doing that because I chose to become this selfish coward that only thinks and cares about herself! I'm a coward, Josh! I'm a coward. I'm a coward. I'm . . . a . . . _coward_!"

Maya dropped her paintbrush and sat down on the stool. Her breathing grew laborious. Closing her eyes, Maya leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm so weak, Josh," Maya mumbled as she shook her head. "I didn't try harder for my mom. I ran away the first time she refused my help, and now she's in rehab. This is all my fault."

Sensing that Maya had let out everything, Josh crouched down in front of her, taking both of her hands to remove it from her face. Maya's eyes were bloodshot, but she wasn't allowing her tears to escape, which gave Josh the indication that she was still attempting to put on a brave front.

"What's your favorite color?" Josh randomly asked, much to Maya's surprise.

"Seriously? You're asking me that right now?"

Josh shook his head. "Just answer me, Maya."

"Blue."

"Favorite artist?"

"Easy. Fernand Léger."

"Favorite song?"

"I can't tell you. I got plenty."

Josh nodded in understanding. "That's all right. What's your favorite food?" he queried.

"Uh . . . the champagne cronuts from Topanga's . . . I think?"

Josh feigned surprise. "You did _not_ just second guess yourself," he accused.

Maya emitted a soft chuckle, her breathing regulating back to its normal rate. "I live and breathe food, okay? It's hard to come up with just one answer," she explained.

"Where's your favorite place in the world?" Josh asked.

"Here, my studio. It's where I feel like I could be anything."

Josh smiled at her in response. He stopped asking questions right then, knowing that Maya had finally calmed down. His intention was fulfilled.

"This is your plan all along, isn't it? Aggravate me until I break free, then you give me room to lose myself before you come in and help me get my sanity back," Maya suspected, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her smock.

"It worked well, didn't it?" Josh boasted as his thumbs moved smoothly across Maya's knuckles.

"How is it that you know exactly how to deal with me?" Maya questioned with a smile. "Is it because of the fact that you're actually a grandpa?"

Josh chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm only one year and eleven months older than you."

"Actually, you're one year, eleven months, _and_ three days older," Maya corrected.

"Are we seriously gonna go over this whole thing again?"

Maya gave him a playful shove. "Aw, come on! I wouldn't be mocking you like this if our age difference had been exactly one year and eleven months, but those extra three days makes you _much_ older than me. So, yeah, you're technically a grandpa—"

"I'm ignoring you now," Josh intervened, making his voice louder in an endeavor to tune out Maya's teasing. A satisfied grin crept across his lips the second he heard the sound of Maya's laughter. It wasn't the giggly one nor the mischievous one, but the genuine kind that made her face scrunch up adorably.

Josh's eyes averted from Maya's for a moment to take a look at the end result of her outburst. Maya was the one who told him she couldn't paint what she was feeling, and there she went proving herself wrong.

"Take a look at it," Josh instructed Maya, jutting his chin at the canvas.

Maya followed Josh's gaze and the second she caught sight of the painting, her breath caught in her throat. On her canvas was a painting of a cliff, exactly like the one Zay had described to Riley back at the party. The only difference between Zay's description and Maya's painting was the addition of a second person kneeling on the edge of the cliff. The same as her companion, her arms were outstretched as she helped pull the falling person back up to the ground.

Maya realized the message she'd painted herself, and with tears brimming in her eyes, she turned to Josh. "I have to see her. I have to tell her that it's all my fault and that I'm very sorry," she said.

Without waiting for Josh's response, Maya rushed to gather her things.

"Maya, where are you going?" Josh questioned as he watched her struggle to put her coat on.

"I have to see my mom, Josh. I have to tell her that I'm sorry."

"Maya, you can't do that. The rehab center's already closed for the night," Josh informed, catching Maya's arm before she had the chance to get to the door.

"I don't care. I'll break in if I have to."

"Maya—"

"I want to see her—I _need_ to see her, Josh!" Maya argued. She attempted to wriggle out of Josh's grip, but he fought against her.

"Maya, I told you—"

The sound of fireworks exploding in the night sky interrupted Josh. His and Maya's head simultaneously turned in the direction of the studio's massive windows, both surprised by the fireworks display. They had been too preoccupied with their situation that they'd forgotten it was the New Year's.

Josh was the first to turn away from the colorful firework show. His eyes glaze over Maya's side profile, admiring the way the different exploding colors reflected a kaleidoscope show across her delicate features. He took a step closer, his lips parting as he emitted a subtle gasp. Realizing that his actions had made them closer to one another than they were before, Josh swallowed and settled for a simple greeting.

"Happy new year, Maya," Josh uttered in a low voice.

Maya's gaze snapped toward him, surprised by how close his voice sounded in her ear. A small smile broke out on her face as she echoed his words back to him. "Happy new year, Josh."

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter**_ ** _: Belief by Gavin DeGraw_. You guys seriously need to listen to this! The song is essentially what Maya thinks of Josh during this chapter.**

 **Okay, you guys got one thing right: Maya didn't make it back to the party, but Josh went after her, so really it didn't matter that she didn't ;) Also I know that in the show, Josh and Maya are three years apart, but I sorta based their age difference on the GMW Wikia page, and it turned that they were only almost two years apart. Can't remember if the show did something regarding their birthdays, so Josh and Maya are three years apart. If you know why, let me know and I'll make the changes immediately!**

 **It's good to be back, guys! I have to leave for another trip next week, but hopefully, I'll be done writing the entire story by then? I only have 12 chapters left to write before the epilogue, and I'm so excited to write how things will play out! I've written down the plot, but it's always fun to see how events I write affects what I originally planned, so the plot can still change somewhere down the road.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	21. The Reconciliation

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm so happy you all liked the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't make Joshaya share an NYE kiss - I wanted them to - but I'm saving it for a big moment *wink* Anyway, this one is not heavy on Josh/Maya, but there will be moments. Without any further ado, here's Chapter 21. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 21: The Reconciliation**_

Maya pulled open the taxi's passenger door, the same time she caught sight of Josh running toward her. With a hand lingering on the door's handle, she waited until he was next to her.

"Josh," Maya greeted with a tired smile. "What are you doing here?"

After Josh brought her home approximately nine hours ago, Maya hadn't been able to sleep. Her mind raced through innumerable thoughts regarding her mother. She wondered if Katy would be happy to see her or be resentful because her own daughter left her to deal with her pain alone. Despite the uncertainty, Maya was eager to see Katy again, and that was enough to keep her tossing and turning until the first sun rays streamed through her windows.

"I wanted to check on you . . . especially after what happened last night," Josh informed as he took in Maya's appearance. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she wore the same white dress she had on for Riley's NYE party.

Maya glanced at the taxi driver, who was patiently waiting for her in the driver's seat. "I'm actually on my way to see my mom at the rehab center," she responded.

"Oh." Josh shoved his hands in his coat's pockets and puffed out a breath. "Listen, I know you probably have about a million things running through your mind right now, but I want you to know that everything's gonna be fine. Katy will be _thrilled_ to see you again."

Maya nodded, still with that tired smile on her face.

"Well . . . good luck."

"Thanks, Josh," Maya uttered. She turned to hop in the taxi, but she paused midway through and gazed back at Josh. "Actually . . . is it okay if you come with me? I'd really like it if you could be there."

Josh didn't even have to think about it. "Sure, I'll come with you."

"Let's go, then."

Maya loaded the taxi and Josh followed after her. He shut the passenger door closed just as Maya finished informing the driver of their destination.

As the taxi rolled off the curb, Josh turned to see Maya gazing out the window. He couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of thoughts were running through her head at the moment. Maya hadn't seen nor spoken to her mother for eight months, and suddenly there she was on her way to see Katy.

"I know it sounds like a silly question at the moment, but, how are you feeling?" Josh asked, causing Maya to divert her gaze toward him.

Maya pursed her lips. "Honestly? A little overwhelmed . . . and terrified," she answered with a nervous sigh.

Josh caught Maya fiddling with the hem of her coat, and he reached across the seat to grab both of her hands. Squeezing them three times, he lifted his eyes to meet her worried ones. "Like I told you earlier, everything's gonna be all right. As long as I'm with you, I promise you that."

Nodding, Maya exhaled in relief as she squeezed Josh's hands back.

* * *

The nurse informed Josh and Maya that Katy only chose to see immediate family and close relatives during visitation hours, which meant that Josh wouldn't be able to stay with her throughout the whole thing like Maya hoped he would.

"Josh," Maya murmured, clinging to his arm as though that would make the nurse allow him to come up to Katy's quarters despite her visitation arrangements.

"You can do this, Maya," Josh encouraged. He grabbed her hand holding his arm and squeezed it three times. "The reason why we're here right now is because you _chose_ to be here, which means you're more ready than you think you are. Stay strong, okay? I'll be right here when you're done."

Maya let go of her hold on Josh, albeit reluctantly. She followed the nurse to the elevators, and with one final lingering look at Josh, she stepped in and allowed the metallic doors to close.

The elevators dinged when they reached the third floor, and Maya followed the nurse out to the hallways. As they navigated their way to Katy's quarters, the nurse informed Maya of Katy's progress and condition throughout the eight months she'd been inside the rehab center.

"I suppose you're Katy's daughter?" the nurse queried.

Maya nodded. "The one and only."

"You know, ever since Katy first got here, there never was a day when she didn't mention you," the nurse informed. When she didn't hear a response from Maya, she continued. "Her efforts don't go unnoticed here. Katy's really trying to be cooperative with everything. She follows her daily schedule, takes all of her medicine, and participates in every social activity we conduct. However, Ms. Chamberlain—"

"It's Hart," Maya corrected.

The nurse smiled apologetically. "However, Ms. Hart, even though your mother is really trying to exert enough effort to get better everyday, it's still evident that there's something—or some _one_ —missing," she finished.

Maya remained tight-lipped as she didn't know exactly how to respond to what the nurse told her.

The two of them eventually reached Katy's quarters. The nurse knocked gingerly on the door, and Maya's heart raced upon hearing the sound of her mother's faint voice saying, "Come in!"

Before the nurse entered the room, she gestured at Maya to wait outside until she got the signal that she could go see her mother. When Maya nodded in agreement, the nurse opened the door to Katy's quarters and strode in, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Katy, you have a lovely visitor," the nurse asserted in a cheerful tone.

"Oh, yeah? Zay told me yesterday he won't be able to see me today. He said something about him not wanting me to see his hangover version," Katy told the nurse as she straightened her bed. "I guess he had a change of plans?"

The nurse didn't say a word. She poked her head out the door, and with a smile on her face, she gestured for Maya to come in. Slipping out of the room, the nurse informed Maya that she only got an hour maximum to spend with her mother before Katy had to leave for her medical appointment.

"Thank you," Maya mouthed to the nurse. She waited until the nurse was fully out of the room before she closed the door behind her, leaving her alone with her mother.

Since Katy's back was to her as she continued fixing her bed, Maya wordlessly stood there and watched her mother move. She observed her, taking note of how thin she got since the last time Maya saw her. Her blonde hair that used to have so much volume had thinned out, her once glowing skin had turned dull, and her overall physique looked feeble.

Realizing that she was wasting the little amount of time she got to spend with her mother, Maya cleared her throat and mumbled, "Mom."

Katy whipped around, having recognized the voice that she knew solely belonged to her daughter. "Maya . . . my baby girl," she muttered, eyes wide with surprise.

Maya couldn't hold herself back anymore, thus she hurriedly took the four steps needed to close the gap between her and her mother. She wrapped her arms around Katy, and the second Maya's face hit the crook of her mother's neck, her sobs grew hysterical.

"I'm sorry, mom," Maya choked out through her tears. "I'm so, _so_ , sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't mean for you to—"

"Shh," Katy hushed as she swayed the two of them back and forth. Her hand buried itself in her daughter's hair, caressing her scalp soothingly. "It's okay, my baby girl. It's okay."

Maya kept her arms locked around her mother, not wanting to let go. "You needed my help after dad left, and I should've fought harder for you. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't be here. I would've been able to prevent this."

Katy pulled away from the embrace and looked her crying daughter in the eyes. She held Maya's face in between her hands. "Don't put all the blame on you, Maya. This is all mine, okay? This whole mess is my fault," she uttered.

"No, it's all my fault, mom," Maya countered, shaking her head.

Katy sighed, realizing that her daughter was still as hardheaded as ever. It was one distinct trait that she'd always seen on her daughter, how much she was willing to sacrifice everything for her friends and family. She couldn't bear seeing her loved ones getting hurt because of other people and knowing that she couldn't protect them all the time, Maya finds relief through shouldering all the blame instead.

"Oh, Maya," Katy murmured as she sat on the bed along with her daughter. "I want you to believe me when I say that this doesn't have _anything_ to do with you at all. Pathetically, I got involved because I thought it was gonna make me feel better. I wanted to forget about your father and the pain he'd caused me, and I needed something that could do that fast. The drugs did do what it was supposed to do, but overtime, its horrible outcome weighed on me. I lost mostly everything in my life, but the most painful loss I had to endure was _you_. And, Maya, there is _nothing_ more desolating than knowing that my own daughter refuses to acknowledge me as her mother."

Maya's sobs intensified, causing her shoulders to shake.

"You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened because if you did anything at all, my baby girl, it was helping me realize the mess I got myself into. _You_ managed to shine a light to show me the correct path I needed to take without you even knowing that you did, and that makes me really happy. Despite my failures in life, I have a daughter whom I know is capable of preventing herself from making all the bad choices I made," Katy added.

"You could've done something else to help you get through your hardships, mom," Maya reasoned. "You didn't have to go as far as turning to illegal drugs for help!"

Katy nodded, tears flowing down her sunken cheeks. "I know that, my baby girl—"

"Then, why did you still do it?" Maya interjected as she sprung up from the mattress. She flung Katy's hand away when she went to pull her back to her side. "You have Zay, you have the Babineaux's—you have _me_! I lost dad, too, so I know _exactly_ what you're going through, mom. Goddamnit, you even have _Riley and Lucas_ for crying out loud! My _own best friends were_ worried sick about you—and she still is! Zay and I offered you help, but you refused us. Why, mom? Isn't that what families are for? To help you no matter what?"

Katy stood up, arms reaching out to grab Maya. She felt terrified, thinking that if she didn't have her daughter in her hold, she'd be gone for good again.

"I didn't want to burden you and Zay any further. You have your own jobs and personal problems to worry about and I could tell how much stress it's putting on you," Katy reasoned. "Maya, you have to understand where I'm coming from here. I did it for a very pathetic reason that's why I didn't want to say anything to any of you."

"Trying to get over someone you lost _isn't_ pathetic, mom."

"I know, and—"

Maya's gaze grew rigid. "Turn the world upside down, contort it into different shapes and sizes, and you're still my mother. It hurts me—it _angers_ me—to even comprehend the fact that you refused my help because I was burdened with my job. Mom, I'm a freelance artist, who's got a _lot_ of time in her hands! Besides, what I do at work is nothing compared to what you put yourself through every day for me!"

"I know, my sweetheart, but—"

"Mom, I love you and I'm very sorry that I'm gonna say this to you, but screw you for belittling my capabilities. You know that I would never _ever_ second guess myself when it comes to helping the people I love," Maya stated, her tone of voice firm.

If the two of them had been in a different scenario, Katy might've raised her palm and slapped her daughter on the cheek for treating her with such vulgarity. But there they were, standing in the middle of Katy's quarters in the rehab center, and all that Katy could do was to nod in agreement. It hurt her to hear those words coming from her own daughter, but she knew she deserved it all. She deserved all the crudeness Maya had in every fiber of her being.

Thus, with tears streaming down her face, Katy slowly descended to her knees.

Surprised by her mother's actions, Maya took a step back only to be pulled back by Katy. "Mom," she muttered, grabbing her mother's hands that were holding her hips in place. "Mom, get up. You don't have to do this."

Katy sniffed. "You have such a big and beautiful heart, Maya. You have so much love inside you, and I don't think I'll ever compare to it. I don't think you even deserve to have a failure like me in your life."

"Mom—"

"But, here I am, my baby girl," Katy intervened, teary-eyed as she gazed up at Maya. "Here I am, your mother, on my knees . . . _begging_ for the forgiveness that I don't think I shouldn't even be begging for."

With her own tears spilling down her cheeks, Maya collapsed to her knees and captured her mother's frail frame in an embrace. Katy melted into her daughter's warmth as her sobs convulsed, even more, when Maya finally opened her mouth to say the words she'd been longing to hear: "I forgive you, mom. And I'm sorry, too."

"It's okay, sweetheart. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Maya and Katy remained sat on their knees, wrapped in one another's embrace as their tears subsided.

* * *

"So, Zay told me you took my job at Tan House Events, and that you're doing so much better at handling it than me," Katy uttered as she and Maya sat cross-legged in front of each other on the bed. "Apparently, the number of clients we have doubled under your management."

Maya blushed. "Zay gives me way more credit than I deserve," she responded. "I just do what I think I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well, it sounds like you're doing the right thing, then." Katy reached across and tucked a fallen strand of Maya's long blonde hair behind her ear. "How's work? I mean, not your work at Tan House Events, but your freelancing job. Are you working with anyone right now?"

"I'm actually working as the Creative Art Director for NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee at the moment, which I'm _very_ proud of," Maya declared with a broad grin. "Leigh's an amazing client, and I hope to work with her again in the future. I haven't told anyone about this yet, but I'm looking to apply as their official Creative Art Director after this project. I mean, they wouldn't have hired me if they have a permanent one, right?"

Katy nodded. "Yes, you should definitely do that. Then you can leave your job at Tan House Events. You might've taken over my position while I'm gone, but I know it's not really what you want to do."

"I guess coordinating events for other people wasn't really a terrible experience. It _did_ introduce me to new friends that I never not want to be in my life," Maya stated as she took Katy's hand in hers and played with her chipped nail polish.

"You mean Josh?" Katy asked with a perked brow.

Maya's eyes snapped up to meet her mother's, eyebrows furrowing together. "How do you know about Josh?" she queried as her thoughts drifted to the man waiting down in the lobby for her.

Katy's smile widened. "Zay talks a lot, you know?"

Maya rolled her eyes, sighing. "Of course, I should've guessed," she murmured.

"Don't worry, Zay also told me that Josh has a girlfriend, so I won't be teasing you," Katy uttered with a laugh. Her cheeks already hurt from smiling and laughing too much, which was what she missed the most about spending time with her daughter.

"Good, because I already get a lot of teasing from Riley. You would think she'd leave it alone after I told her Josh has a girlfriend, but apparently, that wasn't enough to stop her."

"I don't know, maybe Riley's onto something," Katy teased, smirking.

"Mom," Maya deadpanned.

Katy raised her arms in mock surrender. "I know, I said I wouldn't tease you." After a beat, she added, "But I didn't _promise_ you that I wouldn't."

"Mom!"

"All right, I'm just messing with you," Katy uttered, laughing. "Anyway, how's Riley and Lucas doing?"

"Oh, you know, the same old cheesy couple we know since the beginning. They had some issue with both parties' parents a couple of months ago. Cory and Topanga, as well as the Friars, wanted Riley and Lucas to have their first child. It's funny though because I remember Cory freaking out when he turned fifty, but now he can't wait to be a grandpa," Maya narrated with a laugh.

"Cory hadn't changed one bit, had he?"

Maya shook her head. "Nope, still the same."

"What about your friends?" Katy asked, eager to get caught up with her daughter's life. Eight months had been a long time, and who knew what she missed during those eight long months.

"Oh, yeah! Farkle and Isadora are engaged," Maya announced, eyes glinting with excitement. "They told us they didn't want a long engagement, so we're gonna be hearing them wedding bells _very_ soon. Riley thinks Isadora's gonna choose her as her maid of honor, but I think she's forgetting how competitive I am."

"Well, Isadora can always have two maid of honors," Katy replied. "You have the event coordinating experience, while Riley has her connections around New York. Together, I'm pretty certain the two of you will throw the hottest and most glamorous bachelorette party for Isadora."

"Mom, you sound like a teenager," Maya commented as she scrunched her face at her mother.

"Oh, no. Is it because I said 'hottest and most glamorous'?"

When Maya opened her mouth to respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Katy yelled.

The same nurse from a while ago entered the room, informing Maya that it was time for Katy's medical appointment.

Maya's smile faltered after hearing that her one hour with her mother was up. She stood up the same time Katy did and the two of them hugged it out again, tighter than they'd ever held one another before.

"I love you, my baby girl," Katy whispered into Maya's hair.

"I love you, too, mom."

With apparent reluctance, Maya released her hold on her mother and showed herself out of Katy's quarters. She found herself in the rehab center's lobby one elevator ride later. A smile crept up her lips when she saw Josh sleeping on a sofa, his arms crossed over his chest. Situating herself on the empty spot next to him, Maya placed her chin on her upturned palm and watched Josh slumbering peacefully.

With his eyes still closed, Josh cleared his throat and mumbled, "Stop watching me."

Maya pulled back. "What? You were awake this whole freakin' time?" she shrieked in disbelief.

Josh opened one eye, then the other. He adjusted his position on the sofa. "I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes," he informed, reaching his arms above his head to stretch out his stiff muscles. "So, how did it go?"

Maya's smile brightened at the thought of her mother and their newly repaired relationship. "It was perfect," she answered. "I don't know why I even thought about everything going wrong."

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Maya agreed while she heaved a sigh of relief. "Except for one thing."

Josh's grin faltered. "What?"

"I'm starving and I don't feel good at all when I have an empty stomach."

Josh laughed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on, let's grab something to eat—wait, hold on," he uttered the same time his phone chimed with a new message. He took the device out of his pocket and skimmed the message.

Maya watched as Josh's eyebrows creased together. He tucked his phone away and turned to look at her. "It was Sophie," he informed. "She said she's got some free time, so she wanted to meet up for lunch."

Maya could feel her smile wavering, but fought to keep it up anyway. "Oh, sure. Go ahead," she encouraged.

"You should join us. It'll be fun," Josh offered. As much as he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, he was hesitant to leave Maya, especially after the good thing that occurred a few minutes ago.

Maya shook her head. "No, it's okay. I actually just remembered I'm supposed to meet up with Riley and Isadora," she excused, glancing at her wristwatch as though she was checking whether she was running late to her supposed lunch meeting with her friends.

"Oh."

"Besides, I've been spending so much time with you already. I need my ladies," Maya added, still keeping her smile intact. "And I also need to take a shower. In case you haven't noticed, I still look like I just got back from Riley's NYE party."

Josh let out a half-hearted laugh as he nodded in understanding. He wanted to throw a joke or two regarding her appearance, but he oddly felt like he wasn't up for it. "Cool. I'll see you later, then," he uttered instead.

And with one final parting embrace and a word from Josh telling Maya how proud he was of her, the two parted ways. Josh hailed a taxi for Maya, grabbing one for himself once the latter's sped away.

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter : Taxi by The Maine.**_

 **So, Maya and Katy are all good again! Although it was Maya who discovered she still wanted a relationship with her mother, Josh did help her recognize that. And I think that's saying a lot regarding where their "friendship" currently stands right now.**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, I wanna know what you think!**


	22. Choose Wisely

**A/N: Alright, THIS is the shortest chapter you all are gonna get for the remainder of this story. The same as Chapter 20, I wanted to isolate this scene and you will all understand why.**

 **Without further ado, here's the 22nd chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 22: Choose Wisely**_

Josh fiddled with his pen as he held a faraway look in his eyes. He had a minor article due tomorrow for his column, but he couldn't focus on it. His mind raced through thoughts of Maya and her mother, second-guessing his decision to use her story for his big project. Letting him in on something as major as that must've taken a lot out of Maya, and he wanted to respect it, not take advantage of it.

Andrew knocked on Josh's cubicle wall, causing the latter to jerk in surprise.

"Oh, it's just you," Josh muttered with a sigh. "What do you want?"

"An explanation," Andrew replied.

Josh's brows furrowed. "Andrew, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, someone's snappy," Andrew taunted, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I just wanna know what's going on with you. Ever since the day after New Year's, you've always had this distant look in your eyes. What's up?"

Josh pursed his lips, tossing his pen on his desk and swiveling his chair to face Andrew. Heaving a deep sigh, he said, "Do you remember when I texted you, saying I've found my subject?"

Andrew nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "You never told me who your subject is. You just told me you found one," he noted.

Josh paused, exhaling yet another deep breath. "It's Maya," he disclosed. "My subject is Maya and . . . her mother."

Andrew's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, I definitely didn't see that one coming." After a short pause, he added, "What about Maya and her mother? What made you decide you wanted to write about them?"

"Maya's parents got divorced January of last year, and her mother turned into a drug addict after the papers were finalized. Maya resented her mother because of it, refusing to see her or speak with her for eight months. Until very recently, Maya visited her mother for the first time at the rehab center. They talked it out, and now . . . everything's back to the way it used to be between them."

Andrew was silent for a while. Maya's story was something he didn't expect, and he needed a minute to let it all sink in. "Wow," he murmured. "Frosty's such as a happy-go-lucky gal, I didn't know she was going through something like that."

Josh shrugged. "You know what they say: those who have the biggest smiles have the hardest pain," he uttered in a low voice. "She'd built walls around it, Andrew. She could've fooled anyone."

"But . . . what about now? You look like you don't want to write that story anymore," Andrew stated, a concerned look adorning his features. "Do you?"

Josh shook his head. "I don't, Andrew, I don't," he responded. "I've seen who Maya really is as a person, and I want nothing more than to protect her."

"Then, don't do it—"

"Matthews," Filomeno called as he passed by Josh's cubicle on his way back to his office, cutting Andrew's statement short. "In my office— _now_."

Josh gazed at Andrew, a helpless yet pleading look in his eyes. He didn't want to face Filomeno knowing he didn't have an official story under his belt. Time was dwindling fast, and the last thing Josh needed was Filomeno reminding him that his job was now hanging on the thinnest thread.

"Tell you what, let's grab a beer at Groucho's tonight and blow off steam. You look like you could use it," Andrew suggested.

Josh nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that," he responded.

Andrew patted Josh's shoulder before he returned to his desk.

After his best friend left, Josh made his way to Filomeno's office. He knocked twice on the door, and after hearing Filomeno inviting him in, he twisted the knob open and entered.

Filomeno beamed upon Josh's arrival, gesturing at him to take a seat. When Josh had situated himself on a chair, Filomeno cleared his throat and began, "I heard you have a story for me, Matthews. Let's hear it."

"Mr. Filomeno, I do have a story, but . . . I'm not sure I want to pursue it anymore," Josh informed.

" _Which_ is gonna be your biggest mistake—maybe even regret—if you decide not to go on with it," Filomeno retaliated, still with a smile on his face.

The longer Filomeno's smile stayed put, the more Josh felt that it was meant to mock him.

"Mr. Filomeno—"

"Matthews, your friend's story is exactly what I need for the anniversary issue! I mean, what's more _inspiring_ than a drug addict mother and a resentful daughter reconnecting? That kind of story gives _hope_ , Matthews. It shows that no matter how screwed up you are, you still have a chance to make things right so long as you have the heart to take it," Filomeno stated, his eyes glinting with excitement. In his head, he could already picture the anniversary issue with the headline for Maya's story on the front cover.

Josh shifted in his seat. "I respect Maya and her story, Mr. Filomeno—"

"I know you do, Matthews," Filomeno intervened. "But your friend embodies that courageous heart, and I want her to inspire not only the city of New York but the whole world as well. Don't you want that for her? Don't you want her _voice_ to be heard by everyone? Don't you want her to be recognized for the audacious woman that you know she is?"

Pursing his lips, Josh contemplated Filomeno's statement. After what he'd been through with Maya and all the things he learned of her, he wanted nothing but the best for her. Josh believed that Maya deserved the whole world, and if he had the opportunity to provide her with even just a scrap of that, he wouldn't think twice about taking it.

Filomeno noticed the hesitation in Josh's eyes. Licking his lips, he said, "Remember your deadline, Matthews. It took you two months to get on something, and now you want to throw it away? If say, I allowed you to not pursue this story, how long will it take you to find a new subject? Another two months? Even so, you'd only have a _month_ to work on it."

Josh's eyes cut to Filomeno, prompting the latter to continue.

"Your time is limited, Matthews. Keep that in mind. It's either you continue with this story or you're out of my company. It's your choice . . . but you've got to remember to _choose wisely_."

* * *

"You can't be serious right now, Josh!" Andrew exclaimed as he sat across Josh at their table at Groucho's.

"What do you want me to do, Andrew?" Josh bit back with the same intensity Andrew threw at him. It was a good thing Groucho's was a typically loud establishment. "Filomeno gave me an ultimatum—to hell with him it was a good one, too! I am on his list, Andrew. He wants to kick me out of PV. Did you forget that? I'm not gonna stand around and let him do that. I know what I'm capable of doing and I want to prove that to Filomeno."

"There are more than one ways to prove your worth to Filomeno, Josh! You didn't have to use Maya to do that—"

Josh rolled his eyes at Andrew's argument. "I am _not_ using Maya—"

" _Yes, you are_ —"

"I am _helping_ her, Andrew! Look, I want to write Maya's story, all right? I told Filomeno that if I'm gonna be writing about Maya, I want to write about her art and her struggles of trying to make a name for herself in the art industry. But Filomeno . . . Filomeno wouldn't have it as long as I don't include the story of her mother," Josh explained, shoving his third bottle of beer aside.

Andrew held back his response after hearing that Josh tried to bargain with Filomeno. As much as he disagreed with Josh's decision to pursue Maya's story, he had to give it to him for attempting to convince Filomeno to only write about the artistic part of Maya's life.

"Besides," Josh started with downcast eyes, "this isn't about keeping my job anymore, Andrew. It's become more than that."

Andrew furrowed his brows, which prompted Josh to continue.

"Maya's an amazing artist, but she's much more than that. She's a remarkable person who knows what she wants. She's a strong woman with a big heart, and I just . . . I just want the world to know her for the amazing person that she is." Josh paused, eyes set on a random spot on the table. "Filomeno gave me the chance to do that" —he looked Andrew in the eyes again— "How could I turn that down?"

* * *

 **Don't hate me, please. Filomeno _did_ know how to wrap someone around his fingers with just his words. I hope you all understood that Josh wanted only what was best for Maya, and Filomeno sort of described all of that to him.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. I know we have a short one today, but I wanna know what you think!**


	23. A Treacherous Slope

**A/N: Okay, I think we had a misunderstanding from the last chapter. Josh didn't tell Filomeno about Maya's story. He told Andrew, but Filomeno just happened to walk by Josh's desk and overheard Josh telling Andrew about Maya. All that Filomeno did was corner Josh and encourage him to pursue Maya's story because it's what would be "best" for her.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 23 and I hope you like this one! I just wanna say beforehand: Please don't hate me. You'll see why by the end of this chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23: A Treacherous Slope**_

After Josh retrieved the coaster pager from the register and had claimed a corner table, he resumed the story he started telling Maya before they arrived at Grab-A-Burger.

"So, you know how Andrew is like, right? He might be in his late twenties, but he can be kiddish whenever he pleases. It happened sometime around the end of October last year. I think it might've just been an excuse to get Jasmine to hang out with him, but he invited me and Jasmine to this one overlooking spot somewhere in the mountains," Josh narrated.

"That sounds nice," Maya commented.

Josh nodded. "I would take you to see it, but I'm not exactly allowed to go back there anymore—and I'm gonna tell you why. So Jasmine and I were pretty pumped about the weekend adventure because Andrew told us we have to hike up a trail to get to the overlooking spot, and then we'd set up a camp there. We reached the spot by nighttime, and it was after we'd set up the tent that things started getting a little crazy. Andrew was the first one to hear it: the sound of a little girl crying. Jasmine and I thought he was messing with us, but then we started hearing it as well. After the crying, we began hearing strange noises, too. Because we all knew better than to check out the forest around us, the three of us sprinted back to Andrew's Jeep. We didn't care at all that we left our tent, we just wanted to get out of there."

"That definitely _is_ an adventure," Maya commented. "So why aren't you allowed back there anymore?"

"The trail was private property," Josh responded. "Andrew told us he used to sneak in there with his high school buddies. Apparently, high school kids these days have heard about Andrew's group's shenanigans back then and decided to set a Halloween tradition. The property owners got fed up with the trespassers, but instead of getting the police involved, they started the whole horror shindig to keep people away. After he told us that, Jasmine cursed Andrew so much that I started charging her $20 for each swear word she said that night."

"I don't know, it sounds to me that the horror shindig would draw more people in," Maya commented, chuckling at the mental image of Jasmine berating Andrew. "People love getting scared."

A server arrived and gave Josh and Maya their orders. After telling the duo to enjoy their meals, he left with a courteous smile on his face.

Josh removed the top bun of his burger. "We never know, but New York might be populated with pansy individuals. I checked in with Andrew the Monday after he took me and Jasmine to that overlooking spot, and he said that ever since the horror thing started, fewer people have been trespassing," he informed.

"I guess it worked then." Maya removed her burger's top bun as well and forked the tomatoes off. She passed them over to Josh's plate and said, "Health is wealth, Matthews. Eat more tomatoes. You males need that lycopene for your prostate."

"Are you serious?" Josh replied, laughing.

Maya nodded. "Farkle the Genius told me that the other day, so it must be true," she stated.

In exchange for the tomatoes Maya gave him, Josh forked his pickles off his burger and placed them on her plate. "Here are your pickles, ma'am, 'cause your—"

"Don't you dare say it—"

" _Sodium fine_ ," Josh finished with a taunting smirk.

Despite not wanting to hear the joke, Maya snorted, which abruptly shifted to a full-blown laughter. "Matthews, you're something else, do you know that?" she declared.

"Nothing I've heard before," Josh responded as he placed the top bun back on his burger. He picked it up from his plate and took a huge bite, laughing as Maya nudged his shin under the table.

"Maybe I should start charging you by the hour. I think this whole free thing we got going on is inflating your ego," Maya mocked. This time, it was her who laughed when Josh stole a curly fry from her carton while scrunching his face at her.

Josh swallowed his bite of French fries. "Anyway, all jokes aside, how's the benefit concert coming along?" he interrogated. "Have you filled up those six spots in the lineup?"

Maya shook her head. "We've filled up two spots so that one's still a work in progress. _But_ , the poster's done so we can finally start advertising the event—oh, and the T-shirts are finished as well. Leigh texted me this morning, saying she just received the shipping confirmation email for the T-shirts. It should be here in two days."

"That's great news!" Josh declared. He grabbed his soda and took a sip. "You know, I have something—or someone—that might help you out."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"I know he's not really in a band, but if Leigh would have him, Donnie could fill up one of those empty slots," Josh suggested. "I know it's a benefit concert and not collegiate theatre, but you've seen him sing and dance before."

Maya chewed her fries while contemplating Josh's suggestion. "You know what? That's not a terrible idea. We can give solo artists their time to shine as well. I'll tell Leigh about Donnie after we're done with our meeting. Maybe I'll even ask him to come in and 'audition' for a spot."

"There you go, one more empty slot down," Josh uttered with a triumphant smile.

After a short while, Maya emptied her carton of fries while Josh finished his burger. He wiped his hands with a napkin before he extracted his worn out journal from his messenger bag, opening it on the page where Sophie's poem was.

"Okay, where were we?" Maya questioned as she leaned forward on the table to take a good look at the page.

" _I surrender who I've been for who you are,_ " Josh read monotonously. He lifted his eyes to meet Maya's. "That's where we left off the last time."

Maya raised her brows in incredulity. "You didn't add anything new to it?"

Josh set his journal down on the table as he sat back in his chair, shoulders slumping in defeat. "You see, I have this thing called a job, where my editor-in-chief is literally breathing down my neck about my subject—"

"You found one?" Maya interrupted.

Josh's eyes fell away from Maya's, feeling guilty about the decision he made regarding his chosen subject. "I-I have," he simply responded.

"About damn time, mister," Maya teased, smirking. She returned her attention Josh's journal and gestured to it. "Read to me the last stanza that we worked on last time, then maybe I can pitch in a few ideas."

Josh picked up his journal again, and with a heavy sigh, he read, " _I surrender who I've been for who you are_." His face lit up when a new idea suddenly hit him. He hunched over as his hand scribbled across the curling page of his journal. " _For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart—_ "

" _If I had only felt how it feels to be yours, well I would have known what I've been living for,_ " Maya interjected, surprising herself with how seamless the words just flowed out of her mouth. Her gaze was set on Josh when she uttered those words, and the instant he looked up from his journal, she shook her head to snap away from her daze.

Wide eyed, Josh looked at her as an approving smile crept up his lips. "Yeah," he said, mesmerized. "That's actually perfect! It's better than what I had in mind." He picked up his pencil again and transcribed the words. After, he mouthed the four new lines to himself and his smile grew wider, pleased by the fact that the poem was starting to take shape.

"You don't really have to include that," Maya said, chuckling nervously. "It was just a random thought. I don't even know where the hell I pulled that one out from."

 _Lies_ , Maya thought to herself.

"Uh-huh, a beautiful random thought, that is," Josh argued.

Maya chuckled again. "It didn't even make any sense, Josh—"

"Of course, it did. What are you talking about, Maya?"

"Josh, I . . ."

Josh placed his elbows on the table and leaned closer toward Maya. He opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped himself when he saw Maya's gaze flicked to somewhere over his shoulders.

Maya's eyes lit up at the sight of Farkle walking inside Grab-A-Burger. She'd never been happier to see one of her friends because of the situation she found herself in with Josh was taking a toll on her. Those words she uttered to him, Josh might think they were merely suggestions, but Maya knew that she pulled those out straight from her heart. Specifically the part of her heart that always want to bust out of her ribcage whenever Josh does something.

"Farkle!" Maya exclaimed, shooting up from her seat to give her a friend a hug. "I thought I'd never see your annoying face again!"

Maya's unusual behavior didn't go unnoticed by Farkle, but he decided to play along with whatever shenanigan his friend was currently up to. "Say that to yourself," Farkle bit back. "You completely disappeared from our New Year's Eve party."

Josh's head snapped in their direction, and Farkle had to bite his lip to refrain himself from smiling knowingly. The latter turned back to Maya and noted her chewing on her lip, which Farkle knew was one of Maya's quirks that only comes out when she was nervous about something.

"I had a spur of the moment idea, and I just had to paint it before I forgot," Maya excused.

Farkle nodded as though he believed her, but he knew otherwise. If he recalled correctly, Maya wasn't the only person that went MIA at the New Year's Eve party the other night.

As Farkle and Maya carried on with their conversation, Josh watched the two friends with discreet attentiveness, eyes scrutinizing Farkle from head to toe. His gaze then flicked to Maya and observed the lighter vibe she was sending off ever since Farkle had made his presence known at the burger joint.

Josh knew that Farkle had more history with Maya than he did, and for some odd reason, that really bothered him. He felt special because Maya had opened up to him about her life, but here was Farkle, a guy who most likely knew more about Maya than Josh did at the moment. Because of these thoughts swirling in his head, Josh had drifted off to his own world and failed to hear the bulk of Farkle and Maya's conversation. He only snapped out of his stupor when the two friends decided it was time for them to part ways.

"So, am I seeing you tomorrow night?" Farkle asked as Maya broke away from his embrace.

"You can bet your million bucks you will," Maya responded with a broad smile. "Riley wants a last hurrah before you and Isadora fly back to San Francisco."

Farkle nodded while he gestured at the register. "Well, I have to go. I'm supposed to be picking up some pot stickers for Isadora, but I got hungry and decided I'll stop by for some curly fries," he stated, rubbing his stomach. Then, Farkle dropped his voice to a whisper and said, "I don't want to keep your friend waiting, whom, by the way, is literally murdering me in his head right now."

Maya glimpsed at Josh before she playfully punched Farkle's arm, a warning look on her face. "He is not!" she disagreed.

"All right, I'll catch you later—or tomorrow night, I guess."

With that, Farkle walked over to the register. He ordered his curly fries, and soon received it in a small paper bag. Smiling at Maya and nodding at Josh, he left the burger joint.

As Maya sat back down on her seat, Josh wiped his mouth clean with a napkin and said, "Listen, I have to go. I'm sorry that I have to cut our meeting short, but something came up at the office and I just—"

"Of course," Maya stated. "We can always reschedule."

Josh kept his gaze on Maya for a moment before he nodded in accord. Grabbing his journal and stowing it back inside his messenger bag, he stood up and left the establishment in a hurry. It was when he felt the cold breeze grazing his skin that Josh exhaled deeply. He wasn't sure what came on him to leave Maya like that. Nothing really came up at the office, he just needed an excuse to end the meeting. It felt odd, seeing Maya interact with a different guy. He knew Farkle was one of her best friends, and they went all the way back, but there was this tiny and unexplainable feeling bubbling in his chest that he couldn't get rid of—the same feeling he felt when he saw Maya and Evan together back at Riley's New Year's Eve party.

 _Or maybe it's just your conscience nagging at you. You're selling her story, idiot!_ Josh thought to himself as he watched Maya finish her meal through the windows of Grab-A-Burger.

* * *

The words still haunted Maya. Even as she strolled down the snowy path of Avenue Road on her way to Tan House Events, she couldn't get the words she uttered to Josh a while ago. She knew she shouldn't make a big deal out of it—Josh didn't—but it definitely provoked something to surface from the depths of her heart.

 _If I had only felt how it feels to be yours, well I would have known what I've been living for._

Had she and Josh really been spending too much time together that she'd gotten used to having him by her side everyday? Whenever he wasn't around, had she wanted to know what he was doing just to make sure he was still out there? Did she wake up everyday knowing that at some point throughout the day, she'd be seeing Josh? Maya wasn't sure what the answers to those questions were, but one thing was for sure: Josh had been by her side during some of the best moments of her life. And she didn't want him to not be there.

Maya turned a corner and stopped. Miller Boutique stood tall in front of her. A frigid breeze blew and prickled her skin, as though it was reality reminding her of the treacherous slope she might be on the verge of going down. She thought about the conversation she once had with Riley, how her life had the potential to resemble the movie _Four Weddings and a Funeral_. Riley noted that Maya was Fiona, while Josh and Sophie were Charlie and Carrie, respectively. Maya denied it then, telling Riley that it was impossible because Fiona didn't exist in her world. But as she continued gazing at Miller Boutique, she realized that perhaps it _was_ possible.

The thing she had with Josh . . . it _could_ lead to someone developing romantic feelings for the other. However, considering the current situation, Maya knew the person who'd be doing the most falling was her because Josh already had Sophie. At the closing of the business deal they had, Maya had the possibility of being Fiona, hiding her feelings for the sake of Charlie's happiness.

As a passerby going in the opposite direction unintentionally bumped her shoulder, Maya let go of those thoughts swirling in her head. Even though she was beginning to see what Riley implied before, Maya knew all the twists and turns of a classic cliché. Given that she might actually be living in a romantic comedy film, Josh and Sophie would marry each other because that was what people typically expect from a generic rom-com. It didn't matter how many obstacles were thrown in their way, the two leads would _always_ end up together.

But there was still one thing that Maya could easily change.

Romantic comedy films always involved a third party whose primary goal was to ruin whatever it was that the two main characters had. The good thing about third parties, however, was that they always disappear by the conclusion of the movie, defeated by the unconditional love between the two leads. In Josh and Sophie's case, Maya knew she was the third party. She was the one who shouldn't be included in the mix at all. Thus, before whatever feelings she had could have the chance to get to the point where she couldn't ignore it anymore, Maya made a promise to herself that she would never let those heartstrings of hers be tugged by the hands of one Joshua Matthews.

Maya didn't know what it was that made her stop at the sight of Miller Boutique. But it was after she made that promise to herself that she finally understood why. At that moment, the Miller Boutique was the closest thing she had to Sophie. She was promising something to herself but standing a few yards away from the boutique, it felt like Maya was also making that promise to Sophie. The latter deserved to be happy with Josh, and so did he with her. Maya couldn't bear being the selfish villain that takes all that away from them.

From that moment on, Maya surrendered herself. She vowed never to go down that treacherous slope.

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter : Treacherous by Taylor Swift.**_

 **OKAY. HERE ME OUT FIRST. When I wrote that last scene, I knew it was gonna cause something big. I might even say it could be "controversial." But I just want to explain why I wrote what I wrote. So, remember when Maya suggested a line to add to Josh's poem? It haunted her because of how sincere her words were. She knew she wasn't _just_ suggesting - she _meant_ those words - and that scared her so much. She hadn't acknowledged before the fact that she might be developing feelings for Josh, but those words provoked it. It caused something to surface and she couldn't ignore it anymore.**

 **In Josh's case, he left Grab-A-Burger because the jealousy he felt when he watched Maya and Farkle was too much for him. It weirded him out because he hadn't felt that way toward Maya before. And he needed to reflect on it - what it could mean - that's why he left.**

 **Those two paragraphs above are the main reason why I chose "Treacherous" by Taylor Swift as the song of the chapter. The way I interpret that song is that Taylor is feeling for someone she shouldn't have feelings for, thus calling her feelings "treacherous" or "dangerous."**

 **Going back to that ending scene with Maya, she promised herself to never "see" Josh that way because she "knows" that Josh loves Sophie. She didn't deny the fact that she was developing feelings for Josh - she acknowledged that - but she _chose_ not to do something with it because she knows her limitations. What's going to happen now is that as Josh started feeling something odd towards Maya, Maya, on the other hand, will be holding back, thus it will create some sort of tension between them. I guess you could say it's not their "perfect time" YET. Take note of that word: YET. Also, I would just like to point out that during Maya's monologue about the rom-com cliché, she did say that the _MAIN CHARACTERS_ always ALWAYS end up together . . . but keep in mind wh0 the two main characters of this story are ;) * _Shh! I don't think Maya has realized that yet!*_**

 **Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Just kidding! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**

 **P.S. I re-uploaded Chapter 22 with an additional scene at the end. You guys should definitely read it, so you would understand why Josh decided to pursue Maya's story. I know it doesn't really make up for his decision, but I just wanted you guys to see his point of view regarding the situation.**


	24. Say You'll Be Mine

**A/N: I'M BACK! State-hopping on the East Coast is no joke, you guys. I'm feeling ill from fatigue as I type this. Anyway, the important part is that I'm back and I have Chapter 24 for you! It's a fun one (I had fun writing it as well), and I hope you guys will love it as much as I do.**

 **Without further ado, here's Chapter 24. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 24: Say You'll Be Mine**_

Riley whistled as Maya emerged from her bedroom, wearing a tight-fitting dark green cocktail dress. "Well, you certainly don't look like you're going to a party— _you're_ bringing _the_ party over," she commented, wiggling her eyebrows.

Maya chuckled and rolled her eyes, reaching behind her head to hook her necklace in place. "Riley, we're just having a celebratory dinner courtesy of future Mr. and Mrs. Farkle Minkus," she responded.

Riley stood up from the loveseat and addressed the rest of her social circle. "Did no one tell our dear Maya here about our after-hours plans?" she queried, hands on her hips.

"Don't you mean our _last minute_ after-hours plan?" Lucas corrected. He strode over to his wife and whispered something in her ear that made her blush.

"Riley might've convinced me to go all out with the engagement celebration and totally booked a VIP section at Club Sinners," Isadora informed as she smoothened her skirt. "So after dinner, we'll jump into our rented limo and head straight to the nightclub. There, we'll meet up with Josh and Andrew for a fun night of drinks and karaoke."

Maya froze. Isadora blurted out a mouthful of words yet only one thing stood out from the rest. "Wait, did you say Josh?" she asked.

Farkle's head turned in Maya's direction. "I saw the two of you hanging out the other day at Grab-A-Burger, and I had the thought to invite him," he explained.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun on New Year's with them, so I asked Zay to contact him. And apparently, Sophie went on another business trip so he's bringing Andrew with him. Jasmine's coming, too, because according to Josh, ever since those two began dating, you'll never see one without the other anymore," Isadora supplied.

"He didn't tell me Sophie left," Maya murmured to herself, which Isadora and Riley heard anyway and had them furrowing their brows in confusion.

Farkle took no notice of Isadora and Riley's questioning looks as he addressed Maya again. "You're okay with it, right? Because I can tell them we're 'canceling' our plans if you're not—"

"Farkle, it's fine. Josh, Andrew, and Jasmine are our friends. There shouldn't be a problem with wanting to include them in the celebration—I mean, they _were_ there when you proposed to Isadora," Maya stated with a smile. "Besides, the more the merrier, right?"

And there really wasn't a problem. Maya acknowledged her feelings for Josh, but she wouldn't allow it to get in the way of the amazing friendship that resulted from the bond between her friends and Josh's friends. Even so, Josh was soon to be engaged to Sophie, thus she knew there was no need to make a big deal of what she was feeling for him. Because there was no chance of him reciprocating it.

"I mean if you're sure . . ." Farkle trailed off.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Guys, why are you all acting so weird? What's gotten into you to think that I would have a problem with Josh celebrating with us?" she asked as Zay strode up next to her.

Isadora shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's because your whole _aura_ changed when I mentioned that Josh was coming," she responded. Grabbing her clutch from the couch, she accepted Farkle's upturned palm and interlaced her fingers with his.

When she saw Riley nodding in agreement with Isadora, Maya sighed and looped her arm around Zay's. "Don't we have a dinner reservation at seven? It's 6:45. We're gonna be late," she noted.

"Yeah, like our group is always _early_ for everything," Lucas commented, chuckling as he and Riley led their friends out of Maya's apartment.

Riley guffawed. "Oh, my God. Remember our college graduation? We all arrived at the auditorium twenty minutes late, and the six of us strutted down the aisle like we were about to go all _High School Musical_ in the middle of the ceremony."

Everyone in the group laughed at the memory as Lucas pressed the down button, prompting the elevator doors to open.

* * *

The limo driver idled outside of Club Sinners, and the group piled out one by one. Maya was the last one out, her eyes immediately catching Josh's gaze from amidst the line of clubbers waiting to get inside the establishment.

Isadora beckoned Josh, Andrew, and Jasmine over as Farkle informed the bouncer of the group's VIP reservation.

"You know, when you kept mentioning the perks that come with being friends with these people, I didn't realize it'd be this glamorous. You could say you're friends with one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 and I would believe you a hundred percent," Josh stated as he stood alongside Maya.

After the bouncer unhooked the retractable belt barrier that blocked the nightclub's entrance, Farkle and Isadora led the group inside. The rest followed the couple with Josh and Maya at the tail.

"It's not _that_ glamorous . . . it's just VIP," Maya replied with a taunting smirk.

Josh's eyebrows rose. " _Just_ VIP? Wow, you must be so used to this by now, huh?"

Maya shrugged nonchalantly, her ears filling up with the reverberating music the further they walked inside the nightclub. "I've been friends with Farkle since my freshman year in college, so technically, I've been a VIP for eight years—eight years _and_ counting."

Josh laughed, leaning closer to Maya as he dodged a dancing clubber. "It must be fate then that I met you" —he placed his mouth next to her ear, his lower lip brushing her earlobe briefly— "because word on the street, I'm the biggest gold digger in New York City."

When the group entered their reserved VIP lounge, Maya emitted a high-pitched laugh as she gave Josh's shoulder a playful shove. She then surveyed the VIP lounge and noted that it had a personal bar with a bartender ready to concoct drinks. On the other end of the room was a small stage with two microphone stands and a karaoke machine.

"All right, my favorite people! Let's get this party started!" Riley exclaimed, throwing her arms around Lucas's neck and swaying her hips to the rhythm of the electronic music blaring through the speakers.

* * *

Josh sat by the bar, a glass of scotch in hand, watching as Andrew flicked through the karaoke songbook with Riley. From the way Andrew's hands flung animatedly, it was easy to tell that he and Riley couldn't settle on a song they both wanted to sing.

"Believe it or not, they're arguing over which Whitney Houston song to sing," Farkle declared as he perched himself on the stool next to Josh.

Josh scrunched his face. "But do they both have the pipes for a Whitney Houston song?"

"I don't think so, but I think we should let the kids dream the impossible dream for just tonight."

Josh laughed before he took a sip of his scotch. He diverted his gaze to Maya when she happened to pass by Andrew and Riley.

Farkle studied the man seated next to him, and saw the way he followed Maya with his eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "So, Zay mentioned that Sophie went on another business trip."

"Yeah," Josh replied with a sigh. "When she went on her last business trip to Los Angeles, her designs got noticed by Valentina Mendez. She came back home, worked on some new pieces, and then flew back to Los Angeles to show Valentina the finished products."

"That's impressive," Farkle commented. "Valentina's a big deal."

Josh nodded. "Her future as a fashion designer is actually depending on this trip. Sophie might come home as the next Valentina Mendez or she might not." He paused for a beat. "I'm really proud of my girlfriend, but if I'm being honest, I'm not sure what her success would mean for our relationship."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Farkle responded. He took a sip of his beer and trained his eyes on Isadora, who was immersed in a conversation with Maya and Jasmine. "Anyway, I didn't know you and Maya have a thing going on."

Josh choked on his scotch, surprised by Farkle's statement. "I'm sorry—what thing?"

"You know, her helping you out with your marriage proposal to Sophie," Farkle clarified.

"Oh, that. We try to keep it low-key so we could lessen Sophie's chances of finding out."

Farkle licked his lips. His mind raced through the many possible ways he could steer the conversation to the subject he came to talk to Josh about in the first place. "But, you and Maya . . . when did it . . . when did you guys realize that you're more than business partners to each other?"

Josh paused. He wasn't certain what Farkle was up to, but he figured the latter was merely looking out for his friend. If he was in Farkle's shoes, he knew he'd be doing the same thing. "I guess it was when our meetings started feeling like we were just two friends having a good time," he answered. "I felt comfortable around Maya and I knew that I want to be friends with her."

Farkle nodded and sighed. "Okay, I'm done playing the 'big brother' role here. You passed the test," he declared with a broad grin.

"What test?" Josh asked, chuckling.

Farkle waved him off. "Isadora's actually the more protective one of Maya between the two of us. She asked me to intimidate you and I had to—you get the idea. The point is, I didn't want to disappoint my fiancée."

"Can I offer you an advice?" Josh queried. When Farkle nodded, he continued. "If you don't want to disappoint your fiancée, I think it would be best if you don't tell her you didn't intimidate me. You surprised me—yes—but you definitely didn't intimidate me."

"A man wise beyond his years," Farkle stated, patting Josh on his shoulder before sliding off the stool. "All right. I gotta report back to my fiancée. I'll tell her I intimidated you so much you wanted to pack your bags and move to the other side of the world this instant."

Josh laughed. "Go and make your fiancée proud."

After Farkle left him alone, Josh drained his scotch and watched Maya partake in a drinking game with Zay and Lucas. Andrew and Riley continued belting out Whitney Houston songs from the stage at the other end of the VIP lounge.

* * *

When the last note of the song ended, Isadora and Farkle bowed as the rest of the group sprung up from their seats and applauded the engaged couple.

"All right, who wants to go next?" Farkle asked, pointing his microphone at everyone, waiting until someone volunteered to take the stage.

"Oh, I wanna sing!" Riley exclaimed. With her glass of margarita in hand, she ran up to the stage and claimed the microphone from Farkle. "My beloved husband, come on up here!"

Lucas shook his head. "Absolutely no. I have a bet going on with Josh, and I'll only come up there and sing if I lose it," he reasoned. "You're actually the person we're both waiting for to sing because the winner of the bet depends on the song you'll choose."

"Is that so?" Riley stated, glancing briefly at the karaoke machine behind her. "If that's the case then, I want all my ladies up here with me."

Jasmine didn't hesitate. She passed her mojito to Andrew and joined Riley on stage. Isadora willingly hopped on the stage as well, but Maya stayed put.

"Peaches, what are you still doing there? Get your ass up here!" Riley encouraged. "This could be the start of our career as a girl group! We could be the next Donna and the Dynamos!"

Maya shook her head. "Riley, that group only has three members."

"So? We can have four members and be called Riley and the Radiant Rabbits!"

"God, I forgot how much I love Riley and her spur of the moment alliterations," Zay commented through the rim of his beer bottle.

"Riley—no," Maya argued, laughing at the ridiculous group name her best friend came up with.

With a sigh, Riley gave up. She might've allowed Maya to not join her for a number, but she knew she'd have to get her up there at some point before their night of celebration ended. "I'll let you have your way this time, but don't get too comfortable yet," she uttered with a mischievous wink.

Turning to the karaoke machine, Riley grinned as she thought of a particular song the three of them could sing. She punched the numbers assigned to the song, and the moment the first notes of Britney Spears' "…Baby One More Time" started playing, Riley caught sight of Josh defeatedly slapping a twenty on Lucas's upturned palm.

" _Oh, baby, baby. How was I supposed to know? That something wasn't right here_ ," Riley sang, sending a wink at Lucas as her way of congratulating him for winning the bet. The moment she heard that Josh and Lucas made a bet on what song she was going to sing, she knew that her husband would win it. "…Baby One More Time" had been her go-to karaoke song way before she and Lucas met.

Isadora and Jasmine finished the rest of the first verse, and the three of them sang the chorus together with Isadora claiming the role of the second voice.

Near the ending of the song, Riley had gotten so drunk from all the margaritas she kept sipping in between the lyrics. Isadora was still as sober as when she first arrived at the nightclub (she and Farkle had a flight back to San Francisco tomorrow and she didn't want to be hungover for it), while Jasmine just went along with whatever choreography Isadora and Riley pulled off.

" _Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know? Oh, pretty baby, I shouldn't have let you goooo_ ," Riley belted out as she hopped on the bar and started dancing, surprising not only Isadora and Jasmine but Maya as well.

Maya had known Riley since college, but she'd only seen her best friend's wildest side once. Sure, Riley knew how to have a good time, but she'd never allowed herself to let loose as she would had she still been in college. And because Maya knew that Rambunctious Riley only appeared rarely nowadays, the former unhesitatingly pulled out her phone and videotaped her best friend.

Riley encouraged Isadora and Jasmine to join her on top of the bar. Jasmine followed suit, feeling daring herself, but Isadora refused. " _I must confess that my loneliness is killing me nooooow_ —Lucas, come get your wife!— _don't you know I still believe_ —please!" she begged in between her lines.

"What? No!" Maya protested, struggling to keep her phone upright to prevent the video from turning out shaky. But being squished between Josh and Andrew, who were enthusiastically bopping along to the girls' terrible singing, made that task impossible.

" _Still belieeevee!_ " Riley sang in a high off-key note. " _That you will be here, and give me a siiign_ —"

"Rambunctious Riley only comes out once in a blue moon; this is gold!" Maya added as she resumed videotaping her best friend.

Lucas made a move to stand up from his seat, but Maya stretched an arm out over Josh's chest to grab Lucas's left arm. She tugged on it to sit him back down, shooting him a challenging look that made Lucas raise his palms in surrender.

With Jasmine and Isadora standing on both sides of her (Isadora eventually caved in and joined her two friends on the bar counter), Riley readied herself to strike a pose before the trio semi-drunkenly belted, " _Hit me baby one more time!_ "

The number ended, and Maya cheered the loudest. She stopped recording the video and raced to meet Riley by the bar, engulfing her in a big embrace after the former hopped off the counter.

When the hurrah died down, Lucas asserted that it was Josh's turn to sing since he lost the bet. Knowing that he couldn't back out of it, Josh recruited Andrew to join him on stage, but he refused. He turned to Jasmine and asked her, but she reasoned that she just did a very tiring number with Isadora and Riley, thus she'd done her share of karaoke entertainment.

Still functioning under the buzz of her Britney Spears performance, Riley pointed a finger at Maya and declared, "This young lady hasn't had her turn yet!"

" _Oh,_ no. I want _no_ part in this!" Maya stated, shaking her head.

"Maya, dear, just because I'm drunk doesn't mean I won't notice," Riley slurred, noticing the panicked expression on her best friend's face. "I have spidey senses when it comes to you, you know?"

"I don't see you pestering Lucas to sing."

"That's because he won a bet. Come on! It'll be fun!" Riley goaded.

"It wasn't even a fair bet. Lucas definitely knew you were going to choose '…Baby One More Time,'" Maya argued, which placed a shocked expression on Josh's face. He threw his arms up in disbelief as Lucas laughed his wits off while using Zay's body to shield himself from anything that Josh might be attempting to do to him.

"Peaches—just one song. Please?"

"Absolutely _not_ going to happen, Riley."

Then, the chanting of her name began—with Riley being the instigator—and Maya soon caved in. She knew she didn't have any choice. The only way to get the chanting to stop (even the bartender was cheering for her) was to give Riley what she wanted, though she wouldn't let her get away with it without giving her arm a pinch.

"Ow! What was that for?" Riley said, laughing as she rubbed the spot Maya pinched.

"I can't believe you talked me into doing this. You owe me." Maya glanced at Josh and saw him giving her a comforting yet encouraging look. A smile emerged on her face as she went to meet Josh by the stage. She took her outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her up toward the karaoke machine.

"Whoo! Go, best friend!" Riley hollered, prompting the rest of the group to cheer louder.

"I've never regretted something so fast," Maya commented. Her voice was loud enough to earn a chuckle from Josh, but receive no reaction from her friends.

Maya grabbed a microphone from the stand while Josh punched in the numbers assigned to the song he'd chosen to sing with Maya. He didn't consult her regarding the song choice, but she didn't mind at all. She just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Josh strode beside her and grabbed the other microphone. Steps' "Say You'll Be Mine" began blaring through the speakers.

" _Baby, I was hypnotized . . . when I looked into your eyes . . . saw the love I've been waiting for . . ._ " Maya sang in her usual off-key tune. She bopped along to the beat of the music, surprising herself with how much enthusiasm she was exerting for the performance.

Josh gazed at her, an amused grin on his face. " _Couldn't help but fantasize . . . about a world where you and I . . . stay together forevermore_. . ."

" _Don't hesitate, 'cause I can't control my feelings . . ._ " Maya continued.

 _"Just can't wait. Now I know where this is leading . . ._ "

Maya kept moving to the beat, though her features contorted into one of surprise after hearing Josh's singing voice. Unlike her off-key tune, Josh had an impressive set of pipes. She wondered then if there were any other talents he'd been keeping from her.

Noticing Maya's pause, Josh urged her to sing with him. " _Baby, please, this heart's on the line. Don't waste this precious time, say you'll be mine. It's not hard to do. Just tell me you feel it, too. Baby, it's time, say you'll be mine . . ._ "

The song continued on to the second verse. Josh and Maya kept alternating lines, as though they'd rehearsed the song before and had decided which of them got which part.

 _"Took a spark to start the fire . . . fan the flame of my desire . . . turn the light on my destiny . . ._ " Maya began the second verse. Josh had taken his microphone from the stand, and she followed suit, slowly seeing the 'fun' Riley had yapped about.

 _"And it took me by surprise . . . all the love I felt inside . . . now I know it was meant to be . . ._ "

Josh and Maya turned to look at one another, inching closer with each step they took, as Maya belted out her line. _"And step by step, I can feel how close we're getting . . ."_

Grabbing her wrist, Josh twirled Maya, causing both to giggle into their microphones. _"Can't stop yet, 'cause I know where this is heading . . ."_

They sang the chorus again, off-tune and in-tune voices melting together in a way that mysteriously worked perfectly. By the bridge of the song, Josh and Maya faced each other again as the pre-recorded second voices of the song sounded from the speakers.

 _"Say it, all you gotta do is say it . . ._ " Josh sang, tapping Maya's nose and causing her to wrinkle it.

 _"You're the one I've been waiting for . . ."_

As the song ended and they belted out the last note, Maya dropped her head on Josh's shoulder as he rested his on top of hers. They were too caught up in the moment that it was only when their friends clapped that Josh and Maya realized their positions. Josh didn't move a limb, but Maya attempted to subtly put some distance between them.

Riley ran up the stage and passed a glass of martini to Maya in celebration.

With Riley's arm draped across her shoulders, a microphone in one hand and a martini in the other, Maya glanced at Josh over Riley's head of brown hair. Her smile broadened when she caught him already looking at her.

"You put on a great performance, Ms. Hart," Josh stated with a chuckle.

"And this is the part where you tell me I'm better off dancing than singing," Maya replied.

Josh laughed and crinkled his nose. "Yeah, you weren't really much of a singer. You were a _little_ off-key . . ."

Maya rolled her eyes, but her smile transitioned from teasing to sincere. "I had fun, Josh."

"Yeah . . . me, too—"

Then, Riley dropped to the floor, pulling Maya down with her.

* * *

The limo driver dropped them off at Maya's apartment, where the group decided to crash for the night (Josh, Andrew, and Jasmine decided to hang out for a bit before they had to head home). Lucas carried his passed out wife in his arms, which made Maya realize how tired she really was. She turned to Zay and saw him thanking the limo driver before the vehicle sped away.

"What?" Zay asked when he noticed Maya staring at him.

A mischievous grin erupted on Maya's face, and somehow, Zay knew what she wanted before she even opened her mouth to ask it.

"No," Zay stated, holding up his index finger.

"But, the stairs . . ."

"You only have to climb up _five_ steps to get to your building's front door."

"May it be five steps or two, it's still _stairs_ —and I would _still_ have to climb it."

"Oh, and I wouldn't?" Zay retaliated.

Maya pouted. It once held a powerful effect on Zay when they were younger; Maya hadn't used it against him now that they were adults, but she was hoping it was still enough to get him to carry her on his back.

Zay sighed defeatedly and squatted down on the snow-covered pavement. Once Maya got on, he hopped up in a way that bounced her higher on his back, gripping her by the back of her knees to keep her from falling off.

"To my apartment, we all go!" Maya exclaimed, pointing toward the building's front door.

They passed Josh on their way inside the building, and Maya could've sworn she saw something flicker in his blue eyes. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was—she _wanted_ it to be jealousy, but she knew it was dangerous to assume something that might not be there at all.

The elevator doors slid open and the group piled in. Lucas was careful not to bump Riley's head on the metallic walls, while Zay was careful not to let Maya's feet kick Riley's head when he stood beside the couple in the elevator.

Josh was the last one in. Maya tried to meet his gaze, thinking that perhaps she could catch a glimpse of that 'something' again. But he didn't spare her a glance; even after they reached Maya's floor and had unloaded the elevator, Josh averted his gaze from her and walked ahead of the group.

Maya slid off Zay's back to unlock her apartment. She walked in and held the door open for Lucas, who went straight to Maya's couch and carefully set Riley down on it.

"Why don't you guys go through my DVDs and find something we can watch? I'll go get some ice cream for everyone." Maya addressed her friends as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Let me help you with that," Isadora uttered and followed Maya in the kitchen. She found the latter already taking out the tubs of ice cream from her freezer, thus she took it upon herself to grab the bowls and spoons.

In the midst of scooping a gigantic ball of chocolate ice cream for Farkle, Isadora glanced at Maya with a knowing smile on her face. "So, Farkle told us he ran into you yesterday and you were with him," she stated, nodding her head in Josh's direction. When Maya diverted her gaze from the ice cream to her, Isadora wriggled her eyebrows mockingly.

"Tattle-tale," Maya commented, shaking her head.

"Shed some light upon me, please?" Isadora urged with a pout. She saw Maya do it to Zay earlier, and she wondered if it would have the same effect on Maya if she did it to her.

"Josh is just a friend," Maya defended. She gritted her teeth when she struggled to scoop a still not softened ball of butter pecan ice cream for Riley, whom she knew would be waking up soon.

"Oh, _friend_ ," Isadora replied. "I believe it was during the New Year's Eve party that the two of you suddenly vanished into thin air."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You guys are never going to let that go, aren't you?"

Isadora swayed her head, giggling. "Nope." When Maya didn't respond, Isadora continued. Her playful expression now gone, concern taking over its place. "Maya? Can I ask you something? Just between you and me?"

Maya nodded her head. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Is there—" Isadora halted, biting her lower lip in hesitation. "Is there something going on between you and Josh? I know that you're helping him plan his marriage proposal, but from what I can see, you guys seem a lot . . . _closer_ since the first time I saw the two of you together."

"Josh and I are just good friends," Maya answered, her voice low.

Isadora pursed her lips. "If you say so," she replied. "But, just in case . . . Maya, you do know where you stand in this situation, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Maya hastily jounced her head, picking up on what Isadora was implying.

"Good," Isadora said with a small nod, "because I don't want to see you get hurt."

Maya's gaze cut back to Isadora. She opened her mouth to respond, but Farkle suddenly appeared in the kitchen. He informed the two that a movie was chosen and that he would be having Riley's bowl of ice cream. He didn't think she was going to wake up soon.

"I just don't get how the two of you can eat whatever you please and never gain weight," Maya complained with a pout, referring to the engaged couple's huge appetites. "You guys are so unfair."

After all the bowls were filled with scoops of ice cream in different flavors, Maya and Isadora trotted back to the living room, each holding a wooden tray containing the bowls and spoons. They distributed it to their friends before they claimed the last two remaining bowls.

Isadora cuddled up next to Farkle just as Riley woke up. The first thing she spotted when she opened her eyes was Farkle about to take a huge bite of butter pecan ice cream. "Hey!" Riley chided, not caring at all that her head was pounding and that she felt like she was about to puke.

Maya spotted an empty seat next to Josh on the couch. She went for it, but paused when she recalled Isadora's words from earlier: _You do know where you stand in this situation, right?_ Josh hadn't noticed her yet. Thus before he had the chance to, Maya slid down to the floor next to Andrew, who smiled at her like he was a little kid and Maya just handed him a king-sized chocolate bar.

Isadora witnessed the scene and bit her lip. Even though Maya said that she knew where she stood in her situation with Josh, Maya didn't necessarily say that she didn't have feelings for him. Whether Maya was aware of her feelings or not was still a question for her, but Isadora knew Maya's situation couldn't be good.

* * *

 **Be honest with me. Did I fool you with the chapter title? Ha!**

 _ **Songs of the Chapter:**_

 ***** ** _King (Gryffin Remix) by Years & Years_** **. The song that's playing when the gang arrived at the nightclub and the one Riley and Lucas danced to.**

 ***** ** _...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears_** **. Riley, Isadora, and Jasmine's karaoke song.**

 ***** ** _Say You'll Be Mine by Steps_** **. Josh and Maya's karaoke song.**

 **Okay, I thought I might do a little explaining here regarding this chapter. So, Maya has feelings for Josh. She decides not to do something about it in order to keep the friendship that they built together with their group. She didn't want to make a big deal about her feelings because it isn't like "Josh is going to reciprocate it" (wink, wink). She wants to keep their usual comfortable dynamic, but at the same time, she's struggling because she wants to keep her distance. Josh, on the other hand, is getting more and more jealous. We saw that when Zay carried Maya on her back up all the way up to her apartment. And jealousy is DEFINITELY what Maya saw in his eyes. She just didn't want to** ** _officially_** **label it as jealousy because she thought she might be setting herself up for disaster.**

 **And then we have that scene with Smackle at the end. The last line actually implies that Smackle doesn't know if Maya had realized her feelings or not because Maya hadn't told her anything regarding how she feels. She's just assuming that if Maya is aware of her feelings for Josh or not, her situation proves to be a tricky one. And she's concerned for Maya.**

 **Also, I know that Maya is the one with an amazing voice, but for the sake of the storyline, we'll have to pass that talent to our dear Joshua Matthews. Trust me, it'll make sense soon.**

 **I hope that cleared up this chapter if ever there were some parts that weren't quite clear. That's all for today - or tonight, I guess. I hope you liked this one and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	25. Mending and Breaking

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry, it took some time to update, but I reuploaded Chapter 24 with some added little scenes during Josh and Maya's karaoke scene. It's not a big addition, but I've added more to their scene because I felt like we should've seen more of their performance. Go check out Josh and Maya's karaoke scene from the last chapter if you want. It's fine if you're not up for it.**

 **Speaking of, this chapter will explain why Josh is the singer and Maya's the tone deaf. And I hope you enjoy this one even though it's got a more serious tone compared to the last chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25: Mending and Breaking**_

With a brown paper bag full of Katy's favorite foods, Maya navigated the third floor's halls to her mother's quarters. She reached the door that she'd grown familiar with since her first visit on New Year's Day, only to find it slightly ajar. Maya furrowed her brows when she heard two voices inside.

One belonged to her mother, the other was Zay's. They were talking in hushed voices, as though they expected Maya to walk in any moment. Which she thought was smart, considering that _she_ was Katy and Zay's topic.

"How's Maya?" Katy asked.

The sound of Zay's footfalls grew louder, prompting Maya to move away from the door. She returned to her previous spot after she heard Zay's trash hit the bottom of the garbage bin, and his voice softened as he went further back in the room.

"You haven't talked to her?" he replied, wondering why Katy was asking about how her daughter was doing.

"Maya visits at the most random times. I can never know if she's gonna drop by or not. I like it, though. I like surprises, and I love that she keeps giving me one," Katy answered, laughing before thanking Zay for whatever it was that he assisted her with.

Zay chuckled. "Maya's fine. We actually went clubbing the other night with the whole gang. It was Farkle and Isadora's last night in town, so we thought we should celebrate their engagement while the six of us were still together. Let me tell you, Katy, your daughter can't sing to save her life."

Katy burst out laughing. "Well, I used to hear her in the shower and I think she sings just fine."

"The acoustics in the bathroom do _wonders_ for everyone, Katy. But once she steps out of the bathroom, sheesh, she could definitely use some voice lessons from Josh."

There was a brief pause before Katy spoke.

"It sounds like Josh's becoming a constant presence in your get-togethers. Are you guys, like, friends now? Like, has he become part of the inner circle?" she interrogated.

"It was weird at first because I used to only know Josh as someone I work with at _People's Verse_ , but we've gotten to know each other more over the time. He's a great guy, so I don't really mind that he and Maya have basically become a package. You can't get one without the other in tow," Zay replied.

There was some shuffling, and Maya inched closer to the small gap on the door.

"I mean, that's pretty understandable, considering that planning a client's event requires a lot of time spent together. But . . . how close are they? Josh and Maya?" Katy asked, her voice going an octave lower.

Before Zay had the chance to answer, Maya rapped her knuckles on the door and opened the door with a smile. She hoped it was innocent enough to mask the fact that she'd been listening to their conversation. Zay's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of Maya, and she found it genuinely heartwarming for she knew that she'd not only healed her relationship with her mother, but she'd also healed Zay's wounded heart.

"Mayaboushka," Katy greeted as she hopped off the bed to cage Maya in her arms.

"Hi, mom. I thought we agreed we both grew out of that nickname?"

"Never."

The two women broke away from each other, which Zay took as his opportunity to give Maya a hug. "Hey," he greeted in her ear.

"Hey to you, too," Maya said. "I didn't know you were visiting today. You should've told me, so we could've come together."

"You told me you were at Complex Sounds with Leigh, finalizing the benefit concert. It sounded serious and important, so I thought I should just head out on my own," Zay explained. He unwrapped a caramel, popped it in his mouth, and tossed another one to Katy upon the woman's request.

Maya dropped the brown paper bag on the table and took out the contents. "Yeah, Leigh's officially on beast mode. The main setback we've experienced was the lineup, and that's still a thing we're trying to deal with—I'm actually meeting with her again later because she wants to make use of the little time we have left. The concert's next weekend, but we still have one more spot to fill. It's not really the worst case scenario, but if we don't find one more act to complete the lineup, then Leigh would have to settle for just nine bands even though the posters we've put up around Manhattan _clearly_ says there'll be ten bands playing."

Zay's brows furrowed. "It might be too late for this commentary, but aren't you supposed to _list_ the bands that are playing to entice more people to come?" he queried.

"Oh, we did," Maya answered, nodding her head as she popped open a carton of shrimp fried rice. "We listed the bands that we've secured, but due to time, Leigh decided to just put _'plus more special guests . . .'_ to cover those that we aren't sure about. Besides, it's intriguing. People would come to see who those 'special guests' are."

"Josh told me Sophie's brother auditioned for a spot in the lineup. Did he get it?" Zay's words were muffled due to him chewing the second caramel square he'd popped in his mouth.

"Yeah, Donnie's officially our opening act. Leigh _adores_ him a lot, and he thinks he's got enough theater professionalism to get the crowd warmed up for the next nine acts."

Zay nodded. After swallowing the caramel, he got a sense that Maya wanted to be alone with her mother for a moment. He told the two women that he'd step out to give them some privacy. "I'm heading down to the cafeteria to grab something to drink. Do you guys want anything?" he asked.

"No, thanks. I'm good," Katy replied with a warm smile.

"Maya?"

Maya nodded. "Coffee would be nice, please. Thanks, Z."

With that, Zay left, leaving the two women to talk.

"So," Katy began, straightening up from her spot on the bed. She patted the empty space in front of her for Maya to take. "Your birthday is coming up. Is Riley planning anything?"

For all those years Katy had witnessed the unbreakable bond between Maya and Riley, she'd known well enough that when it came to each other's birthdays, no one could come in between whatever it was that the best friend was planning for the celebrant.

"I'm not even going to doubt it," Maya answered with a grin.

Katy laughed. "I can't believe my baby's turning twenty-seven! Are you excited?"

"Eh," Maya responded, shrugging. "I'm turning another year older, who's excited about _that_?"

Katy chuckled at the joke, her bony fingers working on untangling the knots in her daughter's long, blonde hair. Because Maya was her daughter, Katy had everything about her memorized. She knew what each move or eye twitch meant, that was why she didn't miss the obvious wariness swirling inside Maya's blue eyes.

"What're you thinking, baby girl?" Katy asked.

Maya heaved a sigh. "If Riley ever throws a party . . . will you be there?" she wondered quietly.

Katy's breath hitched, which Maya didn't fail to notice. Her face fell, already knowing her mother's answer to her query. "You can't—"

"Maya," Katy interjected. "You know I would've been there if I was allowed to go outside the center. Zay tried to argue for a single night out for the New Year's party just so I could be there, but—"

"Zay said you didn't want to come because of me. He said that even if you were allowed to go out, you still wouldn't have come because you thought I didn't want you there," Maya stated, brows furrowing in utter confusion.

"Oh." Katy's voice faltered. "So he told you."

"Was he _not_ supposed to?" Maya said, her tone incredulous.

Katy paused for a moment as though she was trying to stitch up together a proper sentence. One look at her daughter and she knew she took too long answering because Maya was opening her mouth to say something again.

"Were you afraid of me, mom? _Are_ you afraid of me?" Maya asked.

Katy figured her daughter's eyebrows weren't going to unfurl anytime soon. "Maya," she breathed out. "It wasn't that I was afraid of you, which I feel like I should be. You're growing up to be this remarkable woman who's capable of doing many great things, and I know that you won't be needing me anymore."

Despite the uneasy confusion lingering about her head, Maya smiled at her mother's words. The two of them might have gone through several rocky roads in their relationship, but Maya still took her mother's wisdom to heart. After all, she was, and she would always be, the woman who carried her in her womb for nine months and raised her.

"Mom, thank you, but that's not—"

"But that's beside the point, I know," Katy interrupted, shaking her head. "Yes, it is true that I wasn't there because I'm not supposed to go out of the center. It is _also_ true that even if I was allowed to go out, I told Zay that I don't think I should be there at all. Maya, the day you told me that you were disgusted with me was one of the darkest days of my life. Losing your father was something I could handle every day if I _really_ tried, but losing _you_? That's some otherworldly kind of pain and I don't think I have the strength to shoulder that. I knew that if you saw me there at the party, it would only worsen our situation. I knew that you weren't ready for me yet, so I made the decision to step back and allow you more time on your own. So by the time you're ready . . . I'll be ready, too. And we were."

Maya was silent for a moment, soaking in everything that her mother said to her. It was after a while when she finally nodded in understanding, much to Katy's monumental relief.

"Thank you for telling me, mom," Maya said with a small smile.

"After everything I've put you through, I believe you deserve to know the truth."

The two women embraced each other but were pulled apart by Zay's arrival, who strode into the room with the biggest grin on his face. Maya teased him about eavesdropping, but Zay was too happy to even deny the accusation. His family was back together again, and there was nothing that he could ask for more at the moment.

* * *

After visiting her mother at the rehab center, Maya went back to Complex Sounds to meet with Leigh again. She entered the concert venue, and was smothered with updates by Leigh. The latter was talking frantically, her hands moving animatedly above her head.

"We scored White Reaper, but we officially lost The Monochrome Blond," Leigh announced, her eyebrows nearly hitting her hairline due to panic. "I mean, I've always known we were never going to get them because they're busy with their debut album, but they're kind of a big deal, you know? _Rolling Stones_ called them the next big thing in the pop rock industry, so I thought if we got them—"

"Leigh, breathe," Maya instructed, taking deep breaths herself to get Leigh to do the same thing. "We got White Reaper, everything's gonna be fine."

"No, it's not," Leigh breathed out. "When we got White Reaper, we finally got our ten acts. But then, The Monochrome Blond . . ."

A flashbulb idea immediately hit Maya. "I think I have someone that will help us with that problem," she declared with a knowing smirk.

Leigh's shoulders sagged with relief. "Who is it?"

"Remember when you told me I can choose a band that I like to include the lineup?" When Leigh nodded, Maya continued. "I was actually—well, _Zay_ and I wanted to suggest the Backstreet Boys because they're like the _ultimate_ band for us, but considering their holiday schedule, they're impossible to get. So, I said I'll scout for some cover bands instead—and although we got some, none of them were really my chosen band. But _then_ , my friends and I went clubbing the other night, and I came across someone I know who's got a set of amazing pipes. You wouldn't believe how I felt when I realized that the solution to our problem had been in front of me the whole time."

"Well, who is it?" Leigh prodded.

"Josh Matthews."

Leigh paused. "Is he some kind of solo indie artist that only plays at small pubs? His name sorta gives off that vibe."

Laughing, Maya shook her head. "No, he's actually a journalist for _People's Verse_. He told me once that he'd originally wanted to be a Broadway star, so I find it incredulous that I didn't put the pieces together. But get this, though. I met Josh because he wants me to help him plan the perfect marriage proposal for his girlfriend. It's a slow process—shocking, right? You would think we'd get through it quickly because it's just for a _proposal_ , get down on one knee and boom, you're on the road to forever—but we've been working on this poem for his girlfriend—"

"That he can convert to a song and sing it in front of everyone—in front of his girlfriend!" Leigh finished, clutching Maya's hands in pure excitement. "God, Maya, that's perfect! That'll definitely make the concert more fun and memorable!"

Maya nodded, ecstatic about the idea, too. "We can put him as the middle act. Because, you know, that's when the audience's energy usually depletes. When you've got a great set, people are as energetic as you are. They'll dance and jump to your every song. Imagine that kind of set but ten times more. Then, we'll get Josh up on stage, let him rile up the crowd with his proposal, and get them more pumped for what's next to come."

Leigh's eyes glimmered. In her head, she could already imagine the benefit concert taking place swimmingly. All of her worries wouldn't be for anything because, by the end of the night, she knew she and Maya and her team delivered remarkably. Everyone would have had a great time, and that was all that matters.

"Great, I gotta break the news to Josh," Maya spoke, taking Leigh out of her daydream. "The concert's next weekend, but we're still not quite done with the poem. I want to give him more time to finish it, then convert it into a song."

When Leigh nodded, Maya excused herself and went to message Josh.

* * *

"The least you could do is to just tell her, man," Andrew advised as he made another water ring on the bar counter. "She deserves to know."

Josh and Andrew went to The Sixth Box after work, mainly because Josh needed it. After spending a great weekend with Maya's friends, reality hit him once again the moment he stepped inside _the People's Verse_ 's building on Monday. He was stressing about his assignment—before, it was because he didn't have a story to write, but now that he did, it was because he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Maya. After all that she'd done for him without asking for anything back, how could he have the nerve to do this to her in return? He chose to sell her story and Josh absolutely hated himself for it.

"I can't," Josh replied, shaking his head, eyes downcast. "Not when I've finally made a decision without asking for her consent. I already told Filomeno I'd do it. Doesn't matter what Maya says, I can't back out now."

"Well . . . then, you just gotta make sure Maya doesn't see a single page of the magazine," Andrew said.

"Can't do that either," Josh ventured. "I can't possibly buy every copy of the anniversary edition. Besides, even if Maya doesn't see the spread I'm doing about her, every single citizen of New York City would read her story and know about it. Her friends would read it; Zay would read it; her _mother_ would read it— _everybody_ will know Maya's secrets. It's only going to be a short matter of time until she hears about it."

"I'm sorry, man, but that's what you get for bargaining with Filomeno," Andrew stated before he sipped his beer.

"I need to get off Filomeno's list . . ." Josh defended. It was a weak argument, but it was the truth.

Josh's phone buzzed on the bar counter, prompting both him and Andrew to look at it. Upon seeing Maya's name, Andrew gave Josh a questioning look.

"Please tell me she's texting you because you already told her about the story and our trip to this bar is actually just part of a prank," Andrew stated, turning in his stool to see if he could spot a few hidden cameras around The Sixth Box.

"Drew . . ."

Andrew returned to his previous position, which faced the bartender. "Yeah, I should've known that's too good to be true."

Ignoring Andrew, Josh turned to his phone and read Maya's text.

 _ **Maya** — Told Leigh about your amazing voice and your plan to propose to Sophie, and if you're up for it, she wants you in the lineup._

His phone buzzed with a follow-up message.

 _ **Maya** — Your poem will be your song, BTW. I know you're talented, so I'm not even going to doubt that your poem will make one killer song._

Josh smiled at the winking emoji at the end of her second message. Pressing the text box that prompted the keyboard to appear, Josh typed his reply.

 _ **Josh** — That's an amazing idea, Maya! Sure, I'm up for it. It'll give me the chance to make my dream of becoming a Broadway star come true._

For consistency, Josh added a winking emoji at the end of his message before he hit send. Maya replied right away, and after sending back a message, he pocketed his phone. He was genuinely excited about the idea, thinking that it was more than what he had planned regarding his marriage proposal to Sophie.

Josh's excitement was short-lived because as soon as he stepped back inside The Sixth Box, he remembered the reason why he was at the bar in the first place. He plopped down beside Andrew and ordered the bartender for another drink.

* * *

 **Fun Fact: The Monochrome Blond is actually a fictional band. They're part of a story that I'm planning to write in the future. The band is also inspired by a real-life band, which my high school crush was a part of. I remember when my high school used to do this Battle of the Bands, and I would always ALWAYS come to see my ex-crush's band play. They were amazing - won the competition every time! I just wish the band didn't break up after graduation and all the members went to different colleges.**

 **On the other hand, White Reaper is an _actual_ band. They're one of my all-time favorite bands, and they will have a song that's definitely going to hint at Josh and Maya's situation. You'll get to hear it in a couple chapters when they play during the benefit concert.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. We get to see the mending of Maya and Katy's relationship, while Josh and Maya's are slowly breaking. Although only one of them knows it's about to crumble.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Oh, and don't forget. If you want to, you can check out the additional "moment" I put in the last chapter. I decided to include more of the song's lyrics to Josh and Maya's karaoke song to REALLY HIGHLIGHT the meaning of the song they're singing together.**


	26. Another Year Older

**A/N: Okay, so you guys were a little iffy about the public proposal, but trust me, big things are coming. The benefit concert is like the "main event" of the story that'll stir a lot of things up. The story _is_ almost over, though. I can't really say I'm sad to see it go soon, but I'm pretty excited about my future stories. I decided to step out of my "Maya Zone" and write about Riley this time.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 26. I wanted this one to be longer, but there's a particular scene within this chapter that made me want to stop it there. You'll see.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 26: Another Year Older**_

"And what exactly are we doing today?"

Maya's head snapped up the instant Josh's voice rang in her ears. She twisted around to discover him standing behind her, his hands shoved inside the pockets of his winter coat. He smiled at her, which caused his breath to slip from between his lips in a white cloud.

"I wanted you to see what Leigh and I have done with Complex Sounds. I thought it'd be best to give you a feel of the venue before next week's shindig," Maya responded, sniffling due to the cold temperature. In her hands were two piping hot to-go cups of coffee, and she handed one to Josh. "I don't know how you take your coffee, so I just got you whatever I normally get."

Josh accepted the hot drink. "Oh, don't worry about it. I could take just about any kind of coffee, so long as it's piping hot. But I do have a strong preference for Robusta."

Maya's face lit up. "Consider this your lucky day, then."

Josh lifted up his coffee in a toast before he took a cautious sip. The hot liquid traveled down his throat, warming up his insides right away. "Thank you for this," he told Maya.

Maya's grin widened. She nudged her head in the direction of the Complex Sounds' entrance doors. "So, should we get going?"

"Lead the way," Josh stated with an exaggerated wave of his hand toward the entrance.

Upon entering, the lobby of the venue was littered with booths. Some of them were for the many reputable organizations that NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee partnered with for the benefit concert, while the others were for the bands to sell their merchandises. There was also a concession stand, where the attendees can buy food and drinks. And on the far wall of the lobby was a gigantic banner indicating that all proceeds from the benefit concert would be donated to the numerous charities NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee had chosen.

There was also a small Topanga's stand for serving coffee and baked goods.

Josh pointed at it. "Any chance Topanga's is going to serve some champagne cronuts?"

Maya laughed. "Unfortunately, no. The event's mainly for the benefit of the children victims of violence, so Riley and I thought it wouldn't be smart to serve anything alcoholic when there will be children present. The concession stands are taking all the alcohols off their menu as well."

"Cool."

After touring the lobby and throwing their empty cups of coffee in the trash bin, Maya led Josh into the main room where the concert would be held. The stage was already decorated and cleared for bands to easily set up their equipment. The logo Maya designed for the event hung printed on a massive tarpaulin on the wall behind the main stage. There were steel barricades placed about seventeen meters from the stage. The floor between the stage and the barrier was plastered with signs that read 'Media.'

Maya glanced at Josh and saw him admiring the stage, where he would be singing and proposing to Sophie this time next week. "Nervous?"

Josh didn't pry his eyes away from the stage. "A little, yeah. I can't believe we actually made it. It seems like yesterday I was begging you to help me with Sophie's proposal, and now . . ."

"Here we are." Maya matched her voice with Josh's quietness. She knew if she spoke loud enough, her voice would echo all throughout the spacious venue. "How's the song coming along, by the way?"

"I asked Donnie to help me," Josh replied. "I didn't tell him it's a song for his sister, though. He was thrilled about it, despite the lack of explanation on why I suddenly picked up songwriting. It's coming along pretty fast, actually. We finished the poem—or the lyrics, I guess—and we're going to work on the melody all weekend so that during the weekdays it's just practice, practice, practice."

Maya nodded with a smile. "Can I listen to you?"

Josh shook his head. "Nope. You gotta wait until the concert to hear it like everybody else."

"What? I don't even get a special privilege? I was the one who gave you the idea!"

Still shaking his head, Josh laughed. "You'll hear it when you hear it, Maya."

"You're not playing fair, you know that?"

Crew members suddenly flooded the room, catching both Josh and Maya's attention. One of them held a large cardboard box in his arms. He turned to Maya after recognizing her from the previous days. "You work with Leigh, right? Do you know where she wants us to put these?" he queried.

"Depends. What's inside?" Maya inquired.

"The shirts that were supposed to be delivered here the other day."

Those damn shirts. It was one of the many reasons why Leigh was in full panic mode the same day she announced that she couldn't get The Monochrome Blond on the lineup. "Oh, you can just put them somewhere backstage. I'll let Leigh know I ask you to put them there. Just make sure you label it so none of us forgets," Maya instructed.

The crew member disappeared backstage as Maya's phone blared with an incoming call. She took it out of her pocket and saw Zay's picture flashing on her home screen. Swiping a finger, Maya answered. "Hey, Z. What's up?"

"Maya, I want you to come here to the rehab center. _Now_!" Zay ordered frantically.

Maya glanced at Josh, and she saw him with a worried look in his eyes. His brows creased in question, but Maya could only shrug in response.

"Why? What's going on? Is it mom?" she asked.

" _Yes_! She's—I don't know—I was just talking to her and then suddenly she—Maya, I don't—I'll tell you when you get here, so _please_ _just get here_! And fast!"

Maya was nodding vehemently, ensuring Zay that she'd be there as soon as possible. She hung up the call and grabbed Josh by his sleeve, pulling him toward Complex Sounds' exit.

"Maya, what's wrong? What's going on?" Josh questioned as the cold January air prickled his skin.

"It's my mom. Josh, we gotta get to the rehab center."

Josh spotted an oncoming taxi and raised his arm to flag it. The vehicle hadn't even made a complete stop by the curb when Josh flung the passenger door and ushered Maya inside. He hopped in after her, their destination given way before he had the chance to slam the passenger door shut.

* * *

Josh and Maya burst through the doors of the rehab center. Even before Maya could stroll up to the receptionist desk to ask about Katy Chamberlain, Zay ran up to them. He looked disheveled and distressed, which didn't ease Maya at all.

"Zay, what happened?" Maya asked.

Zay didn't answer. Instead, he gestured for Josh and Maya to follow him. Because Maya was too worried to pay attention, she didn't notice the fact that Zay was leading her and Josh away from the elevators. He led them through many hallways, Maya still failing to notice that it wasn't the usual route she took to get to Katy's quarters. It wasn't until the three of them stepped inside the Social Hall and her friends and family yelled out "Surprise!" that Maya realized that it was all a setup.

"Happy birthday, Maya!"

She recovered from the shock a moment later. A quick glance at Josh confirmed that he was part of her birthday surprise plan.

"Oh, you guys are the worst, scaring me like that," Maya declared, a hand on her chest to feel the heightened pulsing of her heart.

As everyone mumbled different renditions of "I'm sorry, but we had to," Maya's closest friends separated from the group to embrace the birthday celebrant.

"You knew all along," Maya accused Josh, who wore the biggest grin on his face. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he hung back from the five-person crowd (two of those were trying to fit both their faces on Riley's phone screen, wanting to see a good view of the celebrant) that gathered around Maya.

Josh laughed, gesturing at Riley. "This is all on her, believe me."

Passing her phone to Lucas, who made a funny face at Isadora and Farkle on FaceTime, Riley enveloped Maya in a tight hug before she planted a kiss on her temple. "I knew you guys still aren't done working together, so I figured I'd let him in on the plan. It was either him or I make an excuse to lure you to Topanga's so Auggie could bring you here. Ultimately, I chose Josh because Auggie would be _very_ suspicious."

"I didn't tell her about, you know . . ." Josh said, referring to Maya's situation with her mother. "At least I thought I didn't."

"It was actually Zay who first told me about you and your mom making amends, but then Josh accidentally slipped a little about your trip here with him and that was my deciding factor," Riley explained, winking. "I was honestly a little shook up when I found out that Josh knew about it before I did, but you know I'm not the type to hold a grudge. And I'm not really the jealous type." She nudged Maya with her elbow.

"I know you aren't, sweet cheeks," Maya responded, reaching over to pinch Riley's cheek.

"Hey, Maya," Isadora called. Her voice was choppy due to the poor Internet connection in the Social Hall. "Sorry Farkle and I couldn't be there physically. We would've stayed longer if our jobs weren't out to get our heads."

Maya waved her off. "Smackle, it's fine. Just make sure to send that million dollars you promised me when I dropped you off at the airport," she teased.

"What million dollars?" Farkle's head suddenly appeared on the scream, an eyebrow raised up exaggeratedly. "Does it include interest?"

Maya laughed at Farkle's antics.

"I'm just kidding, but Smackle and I _will_ send you a gift. We promise," Farkle asserted, a sincere smile on his face this time. "Anything for our Sweet Hart that we wish we could wrap in a bone-crushing hug because we love her so, so, _soooo_ much."

Everyone in the huddle guffawed. Through Riley's phone screen, Maya saw Isadora engulfing her fiancé in an embrace that showed just how much she adored him. The sight of the happily engaged couple made Maya's heart flutter with love.

"So . . . should we get the party started?" Maya addressed everyone in the Social Hall.

They all cheered in agreement.

* * *

Katy hadn't been able to keep her eyes from Josh and Maya. Ever since the two arrived together, neither left the other's side. She was finally seeing in person what Zay meant when he said that the two had become a 'package.'

"You can't get one without the other in tow," Zay stated the other day in her quarters.

Katy munched on a cupcake, watching as Josh and Maya made their way to a friend Maya hadn't made small talk with since the party started. She wasn't sure if it was intentional, but Katy noticed how the two just gravitated effortlessly toward one another. It was like they were magnets with electromagnetic forces made only to attract each other. And from the way their heads bobbed in agreement to what the other was saying, it implied that their thoughts were synchronized, too.

"Interesting," Katy murmured. She took another bite of her cupcake, her eyes never leaving the two. She wanted to prod, but they were both too engrossed by their conversation. In fact, they were too engrossed that the friend they originally went to talk to had left their side.

A new friend replaced the one who left, but Josh and Maya were still discussing like they were the only ones in the room.

Then, Maya glanced at the nearly nonexistent space between her and Josh and scooted away. Katy's gaze immediately jumped to Josh. The affable smile was still plastered on his handsome face, but there was a certain glint in his eyes that felt off-putting for her. Perhaps it was because of the newly found inches of space between him and Maya. Perhaps it was just Katy's motherly instincts kicking in. It _had_ been a while since her only daughter had a boyfriend.

"Hey, Katy!" Riley greeted as she strode over to the dessert table where Katy was stood next to.

"Riley, what do you know about Josh and Maya?" Katy interrogated. An eyebrow quirked up when she witnessed her daughter placing a hand on Josh's arm, her head lolling back with laughter. _Oh, an arm grab. Interesting . . . again._

"What do you mean?" Riley asked, deciding to eat the same cupcake as Katy.

"Like . . . I'm not certain how I'll ask it, but—"

"You see it, too, right?" Riley interrupted. From the brisk way Katy cut her gaze to hers, Riley knew it was the one she had been wanting to ask.

"Yeah, I think so . . ."

"Everyone sees it, to be honest. Everyone but them . . . and Sophie, Josh's girlfriend," Riley admitted. As close as she was to Katy, she felt skeptical to talk about Josh and Maya to her. She was afraid she might say the wrong things, and Katy would take it completely the wrong way.

"He has a girlfriend?" Katy asked.

Riley nodded. "Maya knows he does. They've met before."

"Where is she now?"

"She's still in LA, but Josh said she's flying back home tomorrow morning. She's an aspiring fashion designer who goes to every fashion convention to market her clothing line. Last I heard, she flew back to LA to meet with Valentina Mendez again. You know, the designer/supermodel dominating the magazines every week," Riley answered.

Katy couldn't care less about what Josh's girlfriend was doing career-wise, but Riley had a tendency to over-explain. "And is she aware of the reason why Josh and Maya are spending a lot of time together?" she asked further. "That it's because they're planning Josh's cousin's 18th birthday party?"

Riley bit her lip as her eyes fell on her best friend. She wanted to blurt out a half-assed truth, but then again, the whole truth wasn't really that bad. If 'wasn't really that bad' meant that Maya agreed to do something Katy clearly didn't want to do anymore. Something that Tan House Events didn't want to do anymore.

"Riley?" Katy cast on her 'strict mother' tone.

Riley had heard that tone numerous times before, especially during her college days when she and Maya would often get themselves in trouble. Riley and Maya's younger selves had a mysterious way of squeezing their asses into every party held in their dormitory.

"Maya is working with Josh to . . . plan his marriage proposal to Sophie. That's why she sometimes doesn't know that Josh's always with Maya," Riley divulged.

Katy was silent for a moment, which terrified Riley. Maya had just amended her relationship with her mother, and she was afraid she'd put a strain again. So she hurried to fix it, never mind that she was going to assert a half-assed truth. "But, I'm pretty sure we don't have anything to worry about. Maya is a very smart woman, and I have faith that she knows what she's doing."

Following Katy's line of sight, Riley watched as Josh scooted closer to Maya once again.

 _Maya, come on_ , Riley chanted in her head. _Come on, come on, come on._

As though her words were transmitted telepathically, Maya coughed into her fist and broke away from Josh. She left him to talk to Oliver and Zay, who immediately urged her to open her presents. She shook her head no, of course, for the sole reason of riling up her two 'enthusiastic about gifts' best friends.

 _That's my girl_. Riley's shoulders sagged in relief. From the corner of her eye, she saw Katy did the same.

* * *

 **Okay. That last scene, right? I wanted it to be a fun one - you know, Katy putting her FBI cap on and spying on her daughter. But then, somehow, it turned serious. What I meant with the last few paragraphs is that Riley didn't want to scare Katy, so she blurts out these excuses so as not to completely "expose" Maya. She then sort of cheers Maya on in her head, asking her to do something that would SUPPORT her excuses. And Maya miraculously pulled through. When Josh closed in on her again, she pried herself away. She put distance between them, and that made Riley exhale in relief. Katy, too, because that sort of solidified Riley's point of Maya knowing what she's doing regarding Josh.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like that one. The benefit concert's next chapter and from that chapter on, BOMBS WILL BE DROPPING. I'm telling you. MANY MANY BOMBS.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	27. Head Underwater

**A/N: THE BENEFIT CONCERT IS HEEEEEREEEE! This one only took me less than 12 hours to write because I just knew every single thing I wanted to happen from start to finish. Usually, when I write a chapter, I follow my outline and make up scenes along the way, whichever way it fits with the chapter. But anyway, I said the last time that there will be a White Reaper song included in this chapter, but I've decided to write it out for a very specific reason. I wanted to end the chapter THAT WAY. White Reaper still performed, but we just didn't get to hear or "read" their performance. If you want to listen to the song that was originally included in the chapter, it's called "Daisies" by White Reaper. Basically, it's about loving someone you shouldn't have feelings for. You're supposed to "look away" because if you didn't, you'll feel wrong and you'll feel like you're going to get executed. "But I won't pick flowers from another man's garden," as they sang in the song.**

 **Anyway, without further ado, here's Chapter 27. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 27: Head Underwater**_

Standing alongside Leigh, who are picking at the yellow clipboard in her hand, Maya peeked through the backstage curtain to check the status of the crowd. The last time she looked, the room was barely populated. A few crew members going back and forth, double checking the equipment in the sound booth. But now, nearly the whole venue was packed with people of all-ages. In fact, there were so many people that the teenagers who got barricade were being squished against the metal barriers. Some wore faces of discomfort every time they got pushed, while others brushed it off, already familiarized with the feeling of being at the front during a concert.

"Oh, my God," Leigh murmured. Her tainted fingers drummed against the back of her clipboard. "I'm starting to think we should've booked a bigger venue than Complex Sounds. This crowd is insane!"

"Thank God we thought of putting the children and their parents/guardians in the VIP section," Maya commented, her eyes widening at the sight of more people streaming in through the doors. They joined the rest of the newcomers in the back of the room.

"You think thats crazy? You should see the line outside."

Both Leigh and Maya turned at the sound of the voice. Josh and Donnie stood behind them, their gazes falling on the augmenting crowd behind the backstage curtain. Donnie cursed under his breath, then murmured something about him not expecting a crowd that massive.

"Are you serious? There's more?" Leigh asked Josh, her eyebrows raising in incredulity.

Donnie nodded as though he was the one Leigh questioned. "Oh, yeah."

Leigh caught Maya's gaze. "Floor 2?" she asked her Creative Art Director.

Maya nodded. "Definitely Floor 2."

"All right. If you'll excuse me," Leigh stated, pulling out her walkie-talkie from her back pocket. She broke away from Maya's little group as she declared through the device, "Open up Floor 2. I repeat, open up Floor 2. We've got a case of sardines going on over here."

"But, Leigh, we didn't book Floor 2." The walkie-talkie buzzed with the response.

"We'll send the manager an additional check. I'd rather disburse out-of-pocket money than risk people fainting during the event."

The walkie-talkie buzzed again. "Copy that."

Leigh pocketed the device and heaved out a heavy sigh. She glanced back to find Josh, Donnie, and Maya looking at her expectantly. "We're good. Sardines situation is taken care of," she assured with two thumbs-up. She then excused herself again to speak with the manager regarding Floor 2.

As Leigh navigated her way to the manager's office, Maya turned to Josh and Donnie. "Are you guys excited?" she asked.

Donnie nodded. "My whole family and Bethany are coming to watch me, so I'm _very_ excited. I know I said that I'm taking on a directorial path rather than the acting path, but this benefit concert" —Donnie shook his head in disbelief— " _unbelievable_. And the fact that _I'm_ the opening act? I've gotten so used to doing collegiate theater that I've forgotten what nerves even are. This whole thing brings me back to the very first time I set foot on stage."

Maya laughed as Donnie wriggled his hands to get rid of his 'nerves.' As nervous as Donnie had described himself, she knew he would kill it on stage. The kid's got talent, thus the reason why she and Leigh agreed to put him as the opening act.

"You'll do amazing out there, Donnie," she told him. "I know you will."

Donnie loosened. "Thanks, Maya." His eyes then flicked back to the crowd outside and miraculously spotted his whole family amongst the thick sea of people. It helped that his sister Sophie wore a bright orange blouse that stood out almost everywhere she went. "I gotta go. I just saw my family and I want to say hi before I have to get on stage."

"Okay," Maya said.

Donnie began his walk toward his family, but he suddenly paused in his tracks and turned to Josh. "Hey, you're not coming to say hi to Sophie?" he questioned.

Josh shook his head. "She thinks I'm stuck at PV right now that's why I 'couldn't come to watch Donnie perform'," he reasoned.

"Ah, so this whole thing is a surprise?"

Josh nodded. "Consider it an early anniversary gift for your sister."

Donnie's confusion eased into a smile. "Ohhhh . . . gotcha. I knew you asking for my help with the song wasn't just because you're starting a new hobby. I like that, Josh. Definitely didn't expect that coming from you."

"I can do _other_ things, _Donovan_."

Donnie gasped. "You just swiped the full name card on me."

Maya watched Josh and Donnie's exchange with amused eyes. Josh _did_ fit really well with the Miller family, which was a thought Maya knew she shouldn't be entertaining. Especially when her heart beat for a certain someone standing just a few feet from her.

"All right, you should go ahead. Your sister's probably itching to congratulate you right now," Josh told Donnie, clamping a hand on his shoulder and pulling him into an embrace. The kind with the one arm over and a pat on the back hug men do with each other.

When they broke apart, Donnie acknowledged Maya once more and left.

"And then there were two," Maya stated as Josh turned his attention back to her.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Josh teased.

Maya shrugged, attempting to pass the sudden heightened pulsing of her heart as pre-show jitters. She might not be performing tonight, but she was still nervous, hoping that the benefit concert would play out as planned. "It depends."

"How?" Josh stepped closer.

Maya cleared her throat. Whether Josh was aware of it or not, he was flirting. And considering that he had a certain glinting diamond ring tucked safely in his pocket, Maya inched away from him. She tapped her earpiece—Leigh's idea of distinguishing her from her other committee members whom she spoke with using a walkie talkie—and pretended that Leigh just asked her a favor.

"I have to go," Maya declared, once again clearing her throat. Her eyes avoided Josh's as much as she could. "Leigh just asked me to check on the bands. Good luck tonight."

Without waiting for Josh to respond, Maya took off. She just hoped Josh wouldn't notice that she didn't head to the direction of the bands' dressing rooms.

* * *

When the music from the speakers stopped, signaling the start of the show, the crowd erupted into loud cheers. Some whistled, some screamed for the different bands they all came to see, and some chanted " _N-Y-C! N-Y-C! N-Y-C!"_ at the top of their lungs.

Wearing a yellow event T-shirt designed by Maya, Leigh walked toward the center stage. She tapped her microphone, did the usual microphone check, and beamed brightly at the packed crowd of Complex Sounds. She waved at the people on the ground level first, then she looked up and waved at those on Floor 2.

"Good evening, everybody! How are you guys doing tonight?" Leigh greeted, a bright smile on her face.

The crowd cheered louder in response. The children in the VIP section waved excitedly at Leigh.

"Great! The night hasn't even begun yet, and you're already having fun," Leigh continued. "I know a lot of you don't know who I am, but my name is Leigh Robinson and I have the board director of NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee. Stood behind me are my board members."

Leigh went to introduce everyone, stating their names and positions.

"We also have Lisa, who's currently in the VIP section hanging with our kids. And of course, we have Maya Hart, our Creative Art Director. She designed all of the posters and banners and brochures and these T-shirts that you all can get from our booth outside."

The crowd clapped, and Leigh waited until it died down.

"NYC Lends a Helping Hand is an organization established to raise awareness to the current issues involving our society, especially the youth. In light of recent events, my board members and I have decided to raise awareness for those children that are victims of violence. I'm sure all of you have seen the news recently. Not only are our children being victims of school shootings, but they are also victims of domestic abuse and many other forms of violence. It disheartens me—it disheartens _us_ —to think that children are being subjected to such violent acts at a young age. Children are _supposed_ to be having fun, enjoying things they are really passionate about. We should preserve their innocence as much as we could because once that's something they're never going to get back. Yet, sometimes, as much as we want to protect our youth, there are still some children that didn't quiet get the help and resource they deserved. If you all would join me, let us please have a moment of silence for those children that couldn't be with us today."

The whole venue silenced. Even the sound booth crew had turned off all the speakers and microphones, leaving absolutely no trace of humming static in the background. Maya felt goosebumps creeping up her skin at the quietness of the room.

Leigh raised her head, implying that their moment of silence was over. She beamed at the crowd again and said, "We do have a _lot_ of children in the house tonight, ladies and gentlemen. If you all could turn to the VIP section over there, I want you guys to cheer and say hi to all the brave youths who came out to have a fun night with us. They're the real heroes!"

Leigh touched her ear piece and laughed as she received a message from her board member currently hanging out with the children in the VIP section. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just told that some of them actually prefer to be called rockstars—and princesses! We have a Captain America—and do I hear a wizard? Oh, and we have a knight, guys! A _real_ noble one!"

The crowd erupted into laughter as they watched the children in the VIP section raising their arms and voicing out what they all preferred to be called.

"All right, so before we can get this party started, I just want to remind you that all proceeds from tonight's event will immediately be donated to all the organizations that NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee teamed up with. We have all their banners pinned on the walls around this very room, and we also have their booths in the lobby outside. Feel free to check them out later or between breaks and don't hesitate to ask. We also have a concession stand and a handful of other food stands if you guys are feeling hungry or thirsty. Again, no alcohol is being sold tonight because we want this to be a very kid-friendly environment.

"So without any further ado, our first act tonight is an NYU student, who's recently diverted his career plan to being behind the camera instead of in _front_ of it. However, for tonight, he's decided to grace you all with his talent that _I_ have personally witnessed beforehand, and let me tell you, he's definitely someone you'd want to watch out for." Leigh winked at the crowd before she stretched out her one arm to introduce the opening act. "Donnie Miller, ladies and gentlemen!"

Leigh went off the stage, and the lights dimmed. Before it completely went pitch dark, Maya caught sight of Sophie's bright orange blouse jumping amidst the crowd, hands clamped around her mouth as she cheered for her brother.

* * *

"Hey, I'm so glad you guys made it!" Maya shouted over the loud band currently playing on the stage. She wrapped her arms around Riley, who told her how proud she was of Maya, and squeezed her tight. Lucas went for the hug next, then lastly, Zay.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, of course!" Zay yelled. It seemed as though yelling at one another was the only way of communication inside the venue.

"Congratulations on the event's success, Maya," Lucas supplied. His eyes surveyed the number of people who came to the concert. "This whole place is packed!"

Maya glanced at the second floor. "Yeah, Leigh had to ask the manager to open up Floor 2 so we could fit everyone."

Maya, Riley, Lucas, and Zay turned back to the stage, where the band announced their final song. The fourth band would get on next, and after them was Josh. Maya was excited to hear him sing the proposal song he worked on with Donnie, but at the same time, she dreaded it. Within an hour or so, Josh would officially and forever be tied to Sophie. The ring that would bind their love for all eternity would finally leave its velvet cage and find its new home on Sophie's left ring finger. And that would be it for Maya.

Joel once told her to fight for the one her heart was beating for, but Maya knew this was one fight where she wasn't allowed to don her armor. This one was the fight she lost by default.

"Maya?" Riley called, her eyebrows knitting with worry.

Maya blinked fast as though she was taking herself out of her stupor. She turned to her best friend and flashed her what she could only hope was a believable smile. "You guys need anything? Drinks, snacks, merch?"

"You're the event's Creative Art Director, not the runner," Lucas noted with a chuckle.

Maya hit his arm. "I know, but you guys scored a good spot here. I don't want you to give it up."

That was when she saw Andrew walking inside the venue, a whole PV crew trailing behind him. Maya's brows furrowed in confusion, wondering what _People's Verse_ was doing at the concert. She excused herself from her friends and maneuvered her way to Andrew. Hopefully, he wouldn't leave his post long before Maya could get to him.

"Andrew!" Maya called, wincing when she got unintentionally elbowed on her side.

He didn't hear her, so she called him again. This time, she raised her voice louder. "ANDREW!"

Andrew turned at the sound of Maya's voice. When he saw her making her way toward him, he signaled his crew to stay put.

The closer Maya got to Andrew, the more she saw the conflicting emotions flickering in his eyes. She swore she saw one of panic, which was quickly replaced by delight. "Hey," she greeted once she reached him. "Josh didn't tell me PV's covering the benefit concert."

Andrew smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, it was actually a last-minute decision. Our editor-in-chief saw this as an opportunity to fill up a few pages or so in the magazine, so he took it. This is Raine, by the way, one of PV's photographers."

Maya smiled as a woman with a camera hanging around her neck offered her hand. She took it for a quick shake. "Hi, nice to meet you," she said.

"You must be Maya," Raine stated, genuine interest laced within her tone of voice. "I heard so many things about you."

Though she was utterly confused why Raine would know her name even though Andrew hadn't told her yet, or how Raine heard things about her, Maya's smile widened. "All good things, I hope."

Raine perked her eyebrows in response before she turned to Andrew. "We gotta get that interview with Leigh Robinson, pronto. I heard she's already handling tons of press backstage, so we shouldn't waste our time."

Andrew nodded. He watched as his PV crew wove their way toward the 'MEDIA' section of the venue. Turning back to Maya, he licked his lips and heaved a sigh. "Maya, listen," he began. "I have to tell you something. You just have to promise not to get mad at me or at anyone involved—at least just for tonight. I mean, you're _entitled_ to feel angry—that's the reaction we're all expecting from you—but tonight's not really the night to feel that way, so—"

"Andrew, what is this about?" Maya interjected.

Andrew shifted his weight from one foot to another. "We're not really supposed to be here—I mean, the PV crew and I—but Filomeno sent us out here for Josh's story and I just want to let you know that it's ab—"

"ANDREW!" Raine yelled from somewhere among the sea of people. "CHOP, CHOP! LET'S GO!"

Maya's eyebrows remained furrowed.

"Maya—"

"ANDREW, HURRY UP!" Raine again.

"I have to go," Andrew informed Maya, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

"Andrew? Andrew!" Maya called as she watched him follow his crew backstage. "ANDREW!"

She didn't call him anymore after that. Her friend got swallowed by the thick crowd bopping along to the rock-n-roll tune playing live from the stage.

* * *

Bothered by her encounter with Andrew, Maya returned to her friends. All of them welcomed her back with warm smiles, yet they failed to notice the look of confusion on her face.

"You're just in time," Riley said as she flipped open the program printed on a yellow sheet of paper. "A certain _special guest_ is coming up next."

As soon as Riley said that, three crew members rolled a grand piano on stage before Leigh reclaimed her spot on the center. She wore a knowing smirk on her face while her eyes subtly attempted to scout Sophie in the crowd. Giggling into the microphone, she checked on the crowd's energy status.

"We're only four bands in and you guys are already depleting!" Leigh teased, tsk-ing. Half the crowd laughed, while the other half denied her accusation by yelling out louder than they did at the beginning of the concert. "Well, I've got a solution for that problem. If you look at the program, we named the fifth act as a 'special guest' because this one's going to be . . . well, special. _Extra_ special, in fact. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

From her place between Riley and Zay, Maya turned her eyes to Sophie. It didn't matter where Maya was in the venue, Sophie's orange blouse stood out like a sore thumb, making her the easiest person to spot in the entire room. As expected, Sophie was as clueless as the rest of the crowd. Her younger brother, Donnie, however, was the opposite. He looked at her unblinking, afraid of missing out on her sister's reaction to the 'special guest.'

"Join me in welcoming to the stage . . . Josh Matthews!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, despite the name being unfamiliar to them. Maya's eyes remained on Sophie, watching as her face lit up with surprise and excitement. She turned to Donnie, who looked at her smugly, then to George and Maria, who looked as surprised as she was.

Josh sat on the leather chair and pressed a key on the piano, silencing the whole audience. Maya expected him to make a short speech introducing himself and the song, but he merely closed his eyes and leaned closer to the microphone.

The opening notes of the mellow song sounded fluidly from the piano. Noticing the sudden change of vibe in the atmosphere, some couples in the crowd cuddled up together, swaying to the soft notes of Josh's song.

Then, he sang and Maya's heart sunk.

 _This is it. This is where it ends. This is how far you're allowed to get,_ she thought.

 _"I've waited a hundred years, but I'd wait a million more for you. Nothing prepared me for what the privilege of being yours would do,"_ Josh sang. His eyes were closed, allowing himself to relax into the flow of the song. _"Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain. Every kiss is a cursive line, every touch a redefining phrase . . ."_

 _"If I had only felt how it feels to be yours. Well, I would have known what I've been living for,"_ Maya mumbled the same time Josh sang the line. Placing a hand over her heart, she could feel it sink even lower. It was the line she suggested when they were writing the poem together, and it was also the line that made her realize how hard she was falling for Josh.

It used to only be _theirs_. It used to only be a line that she and Josh knew, but now . . . it belonged to Sophie. And the fact that Maya was the one who put that line there in the song would only be a memory. A thing of the past.

Josh opened his eyes and immediately spotted Sophie in the crowd. He kept his gaze locked on hers, and hers on his. _"If I had only felt the warmth within your touch. If I had only seen how you smile when you blush. Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough. Well, I would have known what I was living for all along . . ."_

As Josh delved into the chorus once again, Maya knew she'd fallen overboard. Her heart had already sunk to the darkest depths of the ocean, and the rest of her body had just now followed it down, down, down. Still clutching her chest, Maya breathed in heavily, trying to keep herself steady. She fought to swim upwards to keep herself alive and breathing, but the currents of Josh's song were proving too strong for her.

 _"With a whisper, we will tame the vicious seas. Like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees . . ."_

Then, she weakened, allowed herself to sink farther down the ocean. Maya bolted out of the venue, leaving Lucas and Zay stunned and Riley calling after her.

* * *

 **Song used: Turning Page by Sleeping At Last.**

 **AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! Now before you say anything else . . . Did you all notice how I never showed you guys how Josh ended his performance? HMMMMMMMMMM. Something to think about for you guys.**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	28. Giving In

**A/N: I wanted to cut to the chase, so I've got a short one for you. Also, a lot of you are asking about the timeline of Josh's story. So the project's due in February. I put it that way so the benefit concert would be covered. And no, the PV crew didn't know that Josh's proposing. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE KNEW expect for Maya and Leigh. Well, Donnie was made to believe it was an "anniversary present" but that was about it.**

 **Without further ado, here's Chapter 28. A short one, but I still hope you'll like it!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 28: Giving In**_

With a heavy sigh, Maya glanced at the façade of The Central Spice. It had been two days since the benefit concert, and although it was a huge success, that night only made Maya feel conflicted. That gig might've possibly jumpstarted her artistic career—tons of organizations had either directly or through Leigh asked her for her contact information—but, at the same time, it had been a night of heartbreak.

Maya knew what was coming. She knew she should've seen her reaction coming. She'd been planning the benefit concert and Josh's proposal for _months_. But, perhaps it had only felt surreal when the proposal was unfolding in front of her very eyes. Riley followed her outside after she bolted out of the venue, but Maya refused to talk about it. Despite her wariness, Riley respected Maya's decision and stayed out with her for as long as her best friend needed. They only returned inside the venue halfway through White Reaper's set. Lucas and Zay sensed the change in Maya and decided to keep their mouths shut rather than bombarding her with questions.

Even then, she'd avoided Josh and anyone from the Miller family. She'd walked through hallways where she knew neither of those people wasn't permitted to enter. Basically, she had temporarily stapled herself to Leigh's side that night, knowing that it was only going to be a matter of time until Josh spotted Lucas, Zay, and Riley and start asking questions about her.

A yellow taxi drove by, the snow crunching its tires, and Maya blinked up at The Central Spice. She knew Riley would be more than willing to give her a piece of her mind, but Maya needed someone who'd been through the same thing as she did. Maybe not the _exact_ same thing, but close nevertheless. She needed to hear from Joel Rosenbaum.

Maya pushed through the entrance and the maître d' immediately beamed at her.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to The Central Spice! Do you have a reservation with us today?" the maître d' interrogated, her tablet ready for looking up Maya's reservation information.

Maya shook her head. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to your manager, Joel? Is he available to speak to at this hour?"

"One second." The maître d' scrolled through her tablet. After a while, she said, "It seems as though Joel is—"

"Available," Joel interjected the moment he arrived at the receiving lobby. He smiled at Maya, his eyes glinting at the sight of the young woman. "When Josh dropped by this morning, I knew you'd make an appearance as well. It was only a matter of _when_ you would show up."

Maya swallowed. _Josh came to see Joel?_ she wondered, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I sense that you have something you want to talk about," Joel said, placing a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder. "Do you care to grab a cup of coffee with me, Maya?"

Maya nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

Reminding the maître d' to cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the afternoon, Joel led Maya outside. He pulled on his winter gloves just as a frigid breeze blew by. They hadn't even been outside for five minutes, but Joel's cheeks and the tip of his nose had already reddened.

Joel took Maya to a quaint café just around the block from The Central Spice. After ordering their steaming cups of coffee, Joel and Maya sat by the massive window. New Yorkers passed by them, not one giving them the briefest glance.

"You mentioned Josh came to see you this morning?" Maya began, blowing on her hot coffee.

Joel nodded. "Yes, he did." He paused to stir cream into his drink. "But I believe that's not what you came to see me for. What is it, darling?"

Maya paused. She knew what she wanted to say, what to ask, but she didn't know how she would word it. Furthermore, she wasn't certain if she was actually prepared to divulge her feelings to Joel. When she thought about going to him for advice, she'd been ready to confess. But now that she was seated across the man himself . . . Maya didn't want to say the wrong thing.

With a sigh, Maya glanced back up at Joel, only to find him watching her scrutinizingly. She straightened. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked.

Joel chuckled, raising his cup to take a cautious sip. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're an absolute wreck, Maya," he admitted, a knowing smile plastered on his face.

Maya returned his grin weakly. "It's been a tough day so far, Joel."

"You know that's not what I meant at all."

Maya spared Joel a look, knowing what it was that he was talking about. She was just doing everything in her willpower—at least what was left of it—to prolong the topic. "I'm just exhausted," she breathed out, her shoulders sagging.

Joel placed his cup down on the small plate it came with and took Maya's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know you are, dear," he replied. His hand remained wrapped around Maya's, as though he was strategically trapping her in before she could have the chance to run away from whatever was about to come out of his mouth next. "That's why I'm only going to ask you one question. All that you have to do is to answer it honestly."

Maya sighed in defeat. She knew the time had come for her to let go of what she was feeling and stop denying altogether. "Okay," she answered in a voice so low she wasn't sure it could ever be considered a mumble.

"Do you have feelings for Josh?" Joel asked.

Maya wasn't surprised by the query. She looked away from the instant Joel's question poured out of his mouth. As much as she wanted to keep herself together and continue putting on her poker face, she knew she couldn't run away from her feelings any longer. If she was talking to anyone that wasn't Joel, she was completely sure she would've denied her own emotions. But she was there with him—the man who'd gone through the same thing she was going through right now. Because of that, Maya allowed herself to break loose.

"I told my friend Isadora that I'll never forget my place in this situation with Josh, but . . . it's not like you can dictate who your heart's going to beat for. You've been through that, Joel, so you know what I'm talking about," Maya admitted. "I have strong feelings for Josh . . . and I'm extremely exhausted from the amount of effort it takes not to act on it."

"Then, why are you hiding it?" Joel challenged.

"I'm not dumb, Joel—"

"I know you're not, Maya. I just want you to tell me all that you feel," Joel stated in a calm tone.

"Josh is _engaged_ to Sophie," said Maya. "They're so happy together and I can see that every time I look at Josh's face. I can see those crinkles around his eyes for every single time he talks about her. And I know Sophie! She's amazing a-a-and . . . _gorgeous_ and peppy and she matches well with him. Damn me for hiding what I truly feel—I don't care—those two are perfect for each other and I can't be that person who tries to get in between their happiness."

"You're right. That is considered of you to think about other people's feelings," Joel agreed, nodding. He squeezed Maya's hand, causing the latter to look him in the eyes again. "But keep this in your mind, Maya. There will come a time in your life when you have to remember that you've got your own happiness, too. And don't you _ever_ , not even for _once_ , feel selfish at all when you finally decide to go after what your heart truly wants. _Especially_ . . . when it's something that is attainable."

Maya brows furrowed as she allowed Joel's words to sink in. Her left palm was already burning as she kept it wrapped around her hot cup, but somehow, that feeling felt minuscule compared to the commotion going on inside her heart and mind.

Although Maya was grateful for Joel's advice, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he might be implying something else. It felt as though he was encouraging her to go after who she really loved . . . because there was a chance.

Joel let go of Maya's hand. He raised his cup to his lips, but before he took a sip of his coffee, he murmured, "I knew this was coming the first second I saw you two sitting at that corner table. Why do you think I told you the story of my Annie?"

* * *

 _ **Song of the Chapter: She Will Never Know by Loving Caliber.**_

 **Like I said, we didn't read about the ending of Josh's performance so who really knows? Maya only said what she said because that's what she _believed_ happened at the concert while she was standing out with Riley. Joel knows a little something and he wants Maya to figure it out on her own.**

 **I know it's REALLY short, but thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	29. Letting Go

**A/N: To be honest, I'm a little worried about this one. I hope you still like this one though, even if I have a feeling this is the "one" you've all been waiting for ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 29: Letting Go**_

Tonight should've been the best night of Josh's life. Except, it wasn't.

Josh strode in the event hall. His eyes took in the velvet carpeted floors, the warm glow of the fluorescent lights on the high ceiling, and the buffet table, located on the other side of the room, that seemed to stretch on for miles. Lidded silver casseroles lined the buffet table, housing dishes that Josh wouldn't doubt were prepared by only the finest chefs in New York. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if Filomeno went above and beyond and asked for international chefs as well.

Josh walked further into the event hall. He didn't want to socialize with his co-workers just yet, thus he occupied himself by noting the bar tables draped in white silk cloths, a small flower arrangement decorating each center. Then, his eyes went over to the stage where the magazine's cover was printed on a massive poster board, obstructed by a piece of cloth that Filomeno would remove after his _People's Verse_ tenth anniversary speech later tonight.

Although Maya's story was the main article of the anniversary issue, she wasn't photographed to be on the cover. For one, Maya didn't know of the article. Filomeno didn't mind, however, as he thought it'd be best to have his face on the front cover. To him, the idea was brilliant because it was the tenth anniversary issue of the magazine he founded and built from the ground up himself. A little self-absorbent, but it made sense nevertheless.

A waiter with a silver tray full of champagne walked by and Josh plucked a glass. He downed the alcohol in one go.

"Slow down, Matthews. The night is young," Andrew said as he walked up to Josh's side.

Josh spared Andrew a quick glance. Ever since he found out that Filomeno asked Andrew to cover the benefit concert for him, he hadn't been able to look Andrew in the eyes. Josh knew his best friend had been against him using Maya's story since day one, and the fact that he didn't keep away from the story had put an obvious strain in their friendship.

"Must be hard for you coming here tonight," Andrew stated, his hands in his slacks' pockets.

"Hmm." Josh made a face as if to say, _Oh, well_.

"So . . . is Sophie not coming?"

Another waiter passed by and Josh placed his empty flute on the tray and grabbed his second helping. Just like with the first one, he tilted his head and downed the entire glass. "She flew back to Los Angeles this morning because apparently, Valentina noticed that one of her pieces needed a little adjusting and she _had_ to be there to fix it. I asked her why couldn't one of Valentina's minions do it for her, but I guess designers aren't allowed to touch other designers' clothes."

Andrew didn't respond. He took a sip of his own champagne while his eyes roamed the room in search of his girlfriend, Jasmine.

"But, anyway, Sophie's catching the next flight back to New York after she's done dealing with Valentina. She said she's going to try to make it before Filomeno reveals the magazine cover," Josh added.

Although Andrew remained tight-lipped, he stayed put. He knew Josh had more things to say.

Josh heaved a deep sigh, his eyes glued to the bottom of his empty flute. "I know that this sounds terrible, but . . . I'm really hoping Sophie wouldn't be able to make it tonight. When she told me she needed to fly back to Los Angeles for an emergency, I knew there was no way she could make it back in time for this event. I don't want to admit it, but I felt relieved."

"You don't want her here because of _that_." Andrew pointed at the clothed magazine cover perched on a stand on stage.

With desolated eyes, Josh shrugged one of his shoulders and returned his gaze on his empty flute. "If I'm not a prime example of the culmination of bad life choices, I don't know who is," he muttered with a half-hearted chuckle.

One corner of Andrew's lips stretched into a lopsided smile. "Hey, you told me you wanted to write about Maya's art, but Filomeno wouldn't let you do that unless you write about her relationship with her mother as well. It started as a good idea—a generous idea, but . . . even your good ideas turn into bad ones at some point, you know? We all make mistakes. It's just that sometimes, some—specifically yours—are larger than others."

Josh smiled for the first time since he arrived at the _Peoples' Verse_ tenth anniversary and issue release party. He reached over and gave Andrew's shoulder a playful shove.

"But, this doesn't mean that I forgive you," Andrew stated. "I _hate_ that you did this to Maya, but I had a hunch that you're gonna need a friend by your side to help you get through tonight. That is until Sophie gets here, then I'm mad at you again. _Very_ mad. Like, no Grab-A-Burger trips together for a _whole month_ type of mad."

Josh's smile grew into a laugh. "All right, Andrew. I can deal with that." He paused and gazed at his best friend with genuine appreciation. "Thanks, by the way. I know you'd rather drag me out to an alley and beat the hell out of me, but you're choosing to be a friend and—"

"Hey, I said what I said. Let's just leave it at that. Okay?" Andrew interrupted.

Josh nodded in accord.

A single spotlight suddenly shone toward the center of the stage. _People's Verse_ 's editor-in-chief, Steven Filomeno, smiled and waved at the audience as he made his way to the center, a microphone in hand. He stopped beside the clothed magazine cover.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! My trusted employees and their respective plus ones," Filomeno greeted, his world renowned smile adorning his seemingly never-aging features. His eyes turned to every single person in the audience—a trick he learned could establish sincerity—until it fell and stopped on Josh.

Filomeno's grin widened after he noticed his journalist fidget under his gaze.

* * *

"Any chance you've seen Babineaux around?"

Josh had been attempting to decide which type of tart he'd like to try first when Filomeno strode up next to him. From the corner of his eyes, he watched his editor-in-chief scoop a slice of fruit tart onto his plate and removed the kiwis with his fork.

Josh cleared his throat. "No, sir. Babineaux won't be attending tonight's party. He's currently on his flight to San Francisco to attend his friends' wedding," he responded. "I thought Babineaux would've told you."

Filomeno sliced a small piece of his tart with the edge of his fork. "Oh, he did. But, I needed a conversation opener."

"With all due respect, sir, you shouldn't have a problem with that considering the fact that you _are_ a journalist _and_ an editor." Josh finally decided he didn't want a tart. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his hands clean even though he hadn't touched any of the desserts offered on the buffet table.

Filomeno lolled his head back in laughter. "You humor me, Matthews. And also, enough with the formality. I know you and Williams call me Filomeno behind my back."

Josh was unfazed. He knew he and Andrew weren't that lucky.

"Anyway, I just came over here to tell you that you're officially off my list," Filomeno informed, forking a thin slice of strawberry off the tart and dropping it in his mouth. "Your piece about Ms. Hart is exactly the kind of story I expected from you, Matthews. A job well done indeed."

Josh crumpled the napkin and pursed his lips. "I hope you're happy," he replied without meeting Filomeno's eyes.

The editor-in-chief only raised an eyebrow as Matthews stormed off, leaving him alone with his fruit tart.

* * *

Josh left the party immediately after speaking with Filomeno. He couldn't bear staying for another minute in the spacious room that only reminded him of the mistake he'd done. The supersized magazine cover perched on the stage mocked him for every time he accidentally glanced at it. Filomeno's hawk-like gaze, trailing a line of fire down his back. Although Andrew stated that he'd be a friend to him tonight, Josh couldn't deny the distance he'd kept between them. He mainly stuck with Jasmine. But what proved to be too much for Josh was the fact that he saw Maya everywhere. He saw her in every one of his co-workers' face, wearing either an angry or a disappointed expression.

Filomeno's praise for his article was the last straw.

He was back in front of his apartment door thirty minutes later. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Josh keyed his apartment open, ridding himself of his chaffing suit jacket. He started his path to the kitchen, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw his girlfriend perched on one of the kitchen stools.

"I thought you'd be home later?" Josh asked.

Sophie turned and smiled weakly. "It was only a minor adjustment. Valentina set me off on her private jet, so I could get here as soon as possible. Can you believe that just came out of my mouth? I rode Valentina's private jet!"

"How was it?" Josh queried. He didn't know why he couldn't move from his spot. His girlfriend sat meters away from him, yet he made no move to welcome her back home.

"Service was more luxurious, but still gave me the same splitting headache," Sophie responded.

She swiveled around in her stool, and Josh caught a glimpse of the _People's Verse_ 's anniversary issue propped open on the counter. Out of the hundred pages of the magazine, pages 57-62 proved to be the most interesting for everyone. Sophie was no exception.

"Please tell me you're not reading that," Josh muttered. He escaped the party because of the magazine, and yet, he came home to find it being perused by his girlfriend.

Swiveling back around, Sophie looked at the glossy pages of the magazine. "Of course, I am. It's a huge story written by my boyfriend about a very good friend of ours."

If it wasn't for her sad tone of voice, Josh would've been happy with Sophie's commentary. "You're upset," he pointed out, finally finding the strength to walk over to the counter and perch himself on the stool next to his girlfriend.

Sophie took her eyes off the magazine and gazed at her boyfriend. "Josh, I'm not upset. I'm just . . . I just wish you told me."

Josh hunched over with an exasperated sigh. "I know it was wrong of me to let Filomeno publish that story without Maya's consent and—"

"Maya didn't know that you published her story?" Sophie interrogated, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Josh glanced up at Sophie, a helpless look in his eyes, and shook his head. "No, she didn't."

Sophie heaved a heavy sigh before she reached for Josh's hands. "You need to fix this, Josh," she muttered, squeezing her boyfriend's hands tight.

"I know," he responded, then paused. "Wait. You're not mad?"

"Call her and apologize," Sophie instructed. Then, she released one of Josh's hands to cup the side of his face. A sad smile plastered on her face when she felt him lean his head on the palm of her hand. "And while you're at it," she paused and looked Josh over as though it was the last time she'd ever see him, "do me a favor and tell her how you really feel about her."

Josh straightened in his seat. "What are you talking about?"

Sophie's sad smile was still intact when she cupped Josh's face again.

"Sophie?" Josh called, worried.

Sophie let go of Josh's face and slid the magazine to him. "I was at the airport when I saw that this one was out. Of course, I bought it because you wrote the main story for this issue. I read it at the airport. I read it again on the plane. I read it once more on the taxi. When I got home, I freshened up and read it for the fourth time. I read it so many times I think I have all the words memorized." She laughed in an attempt to lighten their mood.

"I'm not sure I'm following, Sophie," Josh stated. His heart was banging against his ribcage.

Sophie picked up the magazine, cleared her throat, and began reading. _"Maya Hart is truly a beacon of light. Anyone who knows her would consider themselves as fortunate because of her immeasurable generosity and infinite capacity for love. She once told me she was a coward, but I've never met anyone who is as lionhearted as she is. In all honesty, she held layers as thick as our own planet Earth's—layers that I'd spent months digging into only to find nothing but more qualities to admire about her. It was as though she never ran out of surprises—and I think that just makes her all the more worthy of the whole world. No, she deserves more than that. She deserves the infinite possibilities of the entire universe. One could only hope to give all that to her._ I _could only hope to give all that to Maya."_

Sophie placed the magazine back down and looked Josh in the eyes. "It wouldn't make sense for me to stay when it's crystal clear that your heart already belongs to someone else," she said.

"Sophie . . ."

She chuckled, that downcast smile still on her face. "I know that you spent Thanksgiving with her when I was away at Los Angeles." When Josh opened his mouth to comment, she signaled for him to hold it. "I know that she was the one who went with you to see Donnie perform at NYU when I couldn't. I know that you were the one she was with when she disappeared during the NYE party two months ago. I know that you were with her the day she amended her relationship with her mother, which is a _very_ big deal, Josh. It's something that you do only for the people you _truly_ love. And . . . I also know that . . . as romantic as your song for me was, you weren't actually singing it to me."

Josh's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I saw it, Josh. Because when I was looking at you . . . you were looking at her," Sophie declared.

Josh shook his head. "You were the only one I could see that night, Sophie."

"Not when she left the room, no," Sophie retaliated, her voice still soft. "I saw the way you followed her with your eyes, Josh. Yes, it might have only been for a short moment, but sometimes . . . sometimes our truest feelings come out in those small moments when we think no one was looking."

Josh couldn't say anything.

Sophie took out the velvet box from her sweater's pocket and slid it over to Josh, much to his surprise. "You were supposed to propose to me," she uttered. "Why didn't you?"

Josh opened his mouth, but no words dared to come out.

Sophie exhaled. "I love you, Josh, but now that we're talking about this—especially after reading your piece about Maya, I realized that . . . there are still some people we haven't met that are actually much better for us. And as much as it hurts me to admit this because I do love you, I don't think I'm your person, Josh."

"Sophie . . ."

Tears began to roll down Sophie's cheek. She'd been holding them back for a long time, but she decided it was time to let them go. Her face muscles hurt from the smile she fought to keep on. "Someday I'll meet my person—maybe he's just somewhere walking around the city, waiting for me. But you? You already met yours, Josh, and it's Maya."

Josh's eyes brimmed with tears. When one rolled down his cheek, Sophie swiped it away. "Don't worry about me, Josh," she said. "I've got that thing with Valentina going on. My career's taking off, which means that I'd have to be on more flights than the usual. You need someone you can be with all the time. So . . . go and get her, tiger."

Sophie nudged the velvet box closer to Josh. She let out a laugh when she noticed his alarmed expression. "I'm not asking you to marry her, Josh. I'm just returning the ring because it doesn't belong to me."

Josh grabbed Sophie's hands and squeezed them. "I'm sorry, Sophie."

"Both of our careers require a lot of traveling, and I always had a hunch that it was going to affect us in some way in the future. We'll argue about it, for sure, then we'll explode because both of us are trying to stay in each other's lives as much as we could, but it's going to prove a struggle," Sophie responded.

A small smile broke out on Josh's face. "You've really thought of this, huh?"

"Between my flight from Los Angeles to New York and riding a taxi to get to our apartment, I sure had a lot of time. It helped that your article gave me a lot of things to ponder—made me realize some things. I'm sorry that our relationship is over, Josh, but it's better we end it this way," Sophie explained, matching Josh's grin. She let go of his hands to give him a solid pat on his shoulder.

"So . . . we're cool?" Josh asked, offering a hand for her to shake.

Sophie took it. "Yep. We're cool."

* * *

 ** _Song of the Chapter: Let It All Go by Birdy + Rhodes_. For the longest time, Josh and Sophie's break-up song was the HARDEST song for me to find. Luckily, I stumbled upon this one on YouTube and I thought it was perfect! I mean, the lyrics said, _"There's still a fire in my heart, my darling, but I'm not burning for you."_ It's basically like Josh's heart is still full of love, but it's not beating for Sophie anymore.**

 **So, that's Josh's POV for you. In the next chapter, we'll get to read about Smarkle's wedding in San Francisco. Maya will be on the other side of the country when she sees the article, so we'll see how she'll react to it. Maybe we'll even get to see how her friends react to it?**

 **Also, remember the Riley story I told you I'm gonna be writing after this one? I don't have an outline written yet, but I did write two chapters as a result of the idea popping in my head. Basically, I only know the beginning, but I haven't really thought of the plot yet. My junior year of college is starting next Monday, so stories might not be as updated regularly, but would you like it if I post the first chapter on that Riley story? Just sort of like a teaser?**

 **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


End file.
